"You are the reason I didn't kill myself," an old friend said to me. These words haunt me and not a day goes by that I don't think about them.

We don't realize it but we as individuals all have the power and the gift to change someone else's life- in the littlest of ways, and leave a lasting impact.

Believe it or not, that wasn't the first time someone told me that I was one of the reasons they didn't kill themselves. In our busy world, with our packed schedules we become selfish and blinded by our own needs and desires. We walk by people without smiling, we forget to hold doors open for people, we ignore texts and we exclude in conversations. Is it really that hard to smile at someone else, to genuinely ask how they are doing? We are oblivious, oblivious to what other people are going through, their stories. We forget they are people just like us. People with hopes, dreams, feelings, problems, and desires. Think of the people you encounter every day other than friends and loved ones... people like the school janitor, the cashier at the counter, the cleaning lady. Are we treating them as people? As equals?

How many times have you been having a bad day and with just the smile of a stranger or the sight of a baby brings a smile to your face? To me, there's no better feeling than making someone else's day. Making someone else's day extends far beyond just a day, it leaves a lasting impression on them and as I have seen in my own life--it could save someone's life.