My soul still fills with joy everytime that I think back to that hot and humid summer day, up in the remote mountain in Europe. I can feel the heat that the sun was giving off slightly burn my tan skin as I walked up to a beautiful church ground, surrounded by tall pine trees. The beautiful, panoramic view was almost too much to take in with just one glance, and yet there I was. My breath was taken away. Little did I know that the day would kept getting better and better. People would think, how can a place that beautiful keep stepping it up a notch and actually leaving an impact on people's lives. It's simple. By being inhabited with good hearted people. The random acts of kindness by complete strangers can turn out to be the purest and most memorable moments of someone's life. That is why I remember and hope to keep remembering this particular day just like it was yesterday.

Two days before, me and my family stepped off of the plane in Albania and made out way to Ohrid, Macedonia. We were driving down a long, eroded country road, surrounded by the tall mountains and the breathtaking lake, in an old, beat down, yellow car that added to the aesthetic of the moment. We drove for hours and hours on end, listening and singing along to the radio as it played throwback music, spending quality family time with each other, and making memories that would last forever. Even before arriving, my family and I had every  minute of our day planned, which ranged from visiting famous landmarks to as much as scheduling set bathroom brakes. With each location that we visited, keeping up with that schedule became increasingly difficult. As soon as we walked through the grounds of a the small, secluded  church up in the mountains, the incredible, view blew me away, and for a relatively short period, time stopped. At that point we all knew that the schedule was no longer relevant. In just one glance I saw how the mountain hugged the lake in a very special and beautiful way. I could see all of the other tourists gazing at the breathtaking view. I could even smell the aroma that was given off by the melted wax as people would light candles on the side of the wall.

At that moment I heard a soft, comforting voice behind me, talking passionately about the church. I turned around immediately, trying to desperately find who was behind that voice. To my surprise, it was the pastor of the church giving out souvenirs of that small but magical place, in an effort to spread kindness all around the extraordinary environment. He looked me in the eyes for a split second, and without even thinking about it, he kindly extended his hand as if to give me a small, but beautiful keychain. As I stood there, I could feel the breeze blow through my, long, straight, brown hair. I reached my hand out so I could grab the suveineer and as my fingers made the final push to grab it, I could feel the goosebumps creeping up and covering my whole body.  As soon as the keychain was in my possession, my red lips started to form a smile that did not go away for the whole day. As I was handed the small keychain my soul was filled with joy. I was at a loss for words because I was baffled that a complete stranger took the time out of their day to make mine better.  It really is the little things that matter in life.

It has been two years since we went on that trip and I still carry that small but yet so meaningful keychain with me everywhere I go. It quickly became and still is my lucky charm.  Everytime I look at it, it reminds me to be just as kind to other people as that pastor was to me. In reality, this may sound cliche, but I truly believe that it has made me a better person. I will undoubtedly keep carrying the little charm with me for as long as I can. I hope that I can maybe even pass it on to my family because spreading kindness, which is the message that it symbolizes, is one of the most important things in life. I feel honored that today I can tell my friends this story and inspire them to always be kind.