'The Best Things Come in the Littlest Packages'

They always say the best things come in the littlest packages. I find this statement utterly true. It seems as teens we always have to have the latest technology, newest video games, coolest designer clothing, and the most expensive or exclusive items. We waste our time socializing on MSN, Facebook, watching shows like gossip girl, and being hooked to our computers trying to beat level five on Miniclip. We don't open our mind and eyes to see what's really in front of us. So much of our time is consumed, shortening the 1 chance that we have to live. We don't see all life has to offer, or what we have to offer it.

When I went to Australia, our family went on a crocodile cruise. This certain cruise was about an hour down calm murky waters on a petite boat only big enough to hold our family. The way there was a dreadful 4 hours due to a motorcycle accident, and I was not happy about the excruciating long wait. Finally, things got moving, and we were headed to our destination. We arrived later than planned so our trip out was shorter than we hoped. I hopped into the boat, a bit nervous about what was lurking underneath. We slowly commenced down the river, hearing nothing but the cheerful calls of exotic birds hanging high in the canopies. Trees towered over me, and everything was lush and green

Further in, I would catch glimpses of the odd monkey or pure white cattle’s grazing the fields. The undisturbed water had crystal clear reflections mirroring what lay above. It was so serene and peaceful. Despite the fact that it was just tons of trees compacted together, it was beautiful. It set my mind to the fact that if we keep harming the planet, there will be nothing like this to see left.

After the boat docked, and the sun disappeared, we stopped on our way back on the side of the road. It was entirely black out, and the only source of light was from millions of stars hanging high above my head. They twinkled so brightly, and gleamed from afar. It was nothing like I had ever seen before! The difference between this and the city sky, made me consider how much pollution we release into our atmosphere, and how much we really do harm our planet. It also made me think how we can change it.

We can all do simple things like saying "hi" to someone we don't know, standing up for someone that's being bullied, spending time with our families, serving food at a soup kitchen, or recycling. Believe it or not, these little things can make a huge difference in not just our lives, but also the lives of others. By going greener, we can watch our world be preserved, and allow our children’s children to admire its beauty.

We can just start by doing something as small as a smile. A smile doesn't really occur to you as an action, but if we all walked around with frowns, it would set a mood among our surroundings. By being happy, you can encourage others around you to smile too! Maybe if we all just focused on being positive, instead of picking out all the bad things in our lives. Sure, the winter can be frigid, but what about the excitement of the first snow and catching snowflakes on your tongue? ❄

So keep in mind, that to change the world, we don't need to have all of these intricate plans, we can start off small. We can first see all life has to provide, from babies giggles, to vibrant rainbows. We can take baby steps together, and all show off our pearly whites. ☺