Side Note - Class Assignment

This week's entry doesn't correlate with my blog's topic. Instead, our professor gave us an assignment: "Buy a stranger a 'coke'" and write about it in your blog.

It has been a great day today. One of my classes was canceled so I took the extra two hours and went to the testing center to take my religion test. The test was very fair and only took me 20 minutes. I turned in my bubble sheet and headed down the stairs so that I could receive my score on the monitor on the first floor.
When you head down these stairs you pass a window on your left. The window has a ledge that has become a favorite spot to leave people notes that you know are taking a test that day. The note is a little pick-me-up before you see your score. I have never been the giver or recipient of a note on this ledge, until today.
I walked down the stairs and there on the ledge was a note just for me! The note was from one of my very good friends from home. She had seen me in the testing center and left me a short note to say hello. What a great pick-me-up!
After the note and seeing a fantastic score on the screen, I headed out of the testing center feeling fabulous about life. While this happy feeling was still inside of me I remembered the assignment that we had been given by Professor Clarke. Our assignment was to buy some stranger a coke or a candy bar, or anything we wanted.
I wanted to pass on the good feeling that I had been given by my friend so I headed back into the testing center and bought a Twix candy bar. I walked back outside and saw a girl sitting on a metal bench. She was obviously studying for a test and she had lots of notes and books spread about her. I knew she was the one; she was my stranger.
As I walked toward her I practiced what I wanted to say in my mind. The practicing must have gone well because what I practiced is what I said. "Hi, sorry to interrupt your studying."
The girl looked up with a very kind smile and said "No problem."
I continued, “My name is Kendra, and for one of my classes we are supposed to give a stranger a candy bar. Do you like Twix?"
She smiled even bigger and said thank you. As I walked away I smiled too.

The assignment was tougher than I would have guessed. It is awkward to walk up to someone and just give him or her something. You really feel like you need to justify yourself. But, as you walk away you feel good, you know it was a good thing to do and that the assignment made you look outside of yourself. It is certainly a stretching exercise.