I’m not much of a walker or a sporty person, so when Majhoudi came to me a week before and told me that we had a Utopia team for the Walk for Hunger, and that he wanted me to join, I was like No Way! Ten miles? 8:30 am? There’s absolutely no way I could ever do that! But after some convincing I finally agreed. And honestly, I’m so happy that I did!

I never really payed attention or cared much about the meaning of the walk, or its cause, I was really just going for my friends. Anyways, I reluctantly got up the morning of the walk, not really that thrilled about walking a whole ten miles, but I already committed to it, so I carried on with the plan.

We met at the masjid at 6:30, everyone was so excited to get going, and I played along, but in my head, I was just thinking about how i’d survive and later be able to go to the Sharon carnival with my friends. But once we got going, time flew by, without even realizing it, the walk was over. What felt like 2-3 hours was really 5! I couldn’t believe it, not only had I made it, but this walk had inspired me.

Every mile we went, people were cheering us on, urging us not to give up. I felt like I could do anything. I realized that there are people out there that are not as fortunate as us (Alhamdullillah). These people have no food, no place to go. And I was worrying about 10 miles? How had I not noticed this before? I mean, a few months ago, the EMTeens went on a trip to Boston to hand out blessing bags to the homeless. I felt bad for them, and sympathised with them for that day, but after that, I just forgot about it. But with the alk, I felt like by experiencing the pain of walking for 5 hours, I realized, that wow, there are people out there that are suffering so much more, while all I have to do is walk for 10 miles, these people spend their whole lives on the street.

I felt like next time I walk around Boston, or anywhere, and see a homeless person on the street, I’m not just going to ignore them. They are people just like us, and they all matter.

As we were walking back that day to our cars, a homeless man came up to us. I wasn’t expecting this, so I was surprised when he came to us, and started thanking us, almost on his knees. He kept saying “Thank You, thank you!” Then he said something to us that I will always remember, he told us to always remember that the small things we take for granted, some people out there are dying to have, and anywhere you go whether its Boston or China there are people that are starving.

Now, this probably sounds like something that everyone tells you. “Don’t waste food, don’t this, don’t that!” But hearing this from a real homeless person, I thought, wow, these small things like walking, can really change a person’s life. So, next time you pass by a homeless person, show some sympathy, and give them a dollar, don’t just walk by like they don’t exist. And remember, every good deed counts.