Reddit is an incredibly powerful tool. I’ve lurked on it for about a year and it has improved my quality of life. There are numerous articles that have changed the way I have looked at life. However, there was one post that stood out. A redditor posted an image gallery of texts he received from a friend. Each day, his friend reminded him that life is beautiful for a different reason. This inspired me to try the same with some people that I know.
I started texting about 20 people in February with short, daily notes. At first, people were confused and didn’t understand why I was texting them. Some of them felt awkward about it, but once I explained it to them I got mostly positive feedback.
The nature of each reminder varies. Sometimes they’re fun and lighthearted. One time, I was doing laundry, and my reminder alarm in my mind went off. I grabbed my tablet and sent out my positive feelings towards warm towels. Another night I found myself at Delta Phi Epsilon’s Grilled Cheese Night and I loved every bite of my sandwich. The morning after I let people know that life is beautiful because of well-made grilled cheese sandwiches.
However, some of the reminders are more serious or contemplative. One example is that “each stranger that you encounter is an opportunity to show how awesome you are.” Think about it. First impressions are everything and can be the basis of your newly found relationship with a stranger. This is something I truly believe in.
Life is also beautiful when you do what you love, even when you may be in pain, hurting, and sore. This reminder was inspired by the work that I did at PAX East 2015 as an Enforcer, someone that ensures that attendees are having the best time at PAX safely and positively. I walked and stood around for about 10 hours in the day, logging countless miles on foot and survived on a few hours of sleep each night. I’ve been enforcing since 2013 and I love every moment of it and I’ve even influenced some of my friends, such as fellow Stute contributor Jiaren Li, to join me as a redshirt.
After a few weeks, I was thinking of ways to reach more people in a more efficient manner. I created a twitter account, @DRTLIB, and Beautiful Life (there will be a name change soon) on Facebook. I encourage you to check it out if you ever need a pick-me-up, or a new perspective on life.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that are dark, dull, or scary, but during those periods we need that daily reminder that life is beautiful. #DRTLIB
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