I'm hanging out, making bracelets with the radio blaring, and I'm not at school. Life can't get any better than this, I thought to myself, as I tried to block out the stress of college, SATs, APs, SAT IIs, ACTs and everything else that runs through a junior's mind. This wasn't exactly a typical day of high school. But clowning around at a carnival was actually more educational than memorizing the dates of the American Revolution. It was something I wouldn't spit back and then forget.

I was helping to run a carnival held for adults with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that causes abnormalities, normally in muscle movement. The carnival was filled with games, snacks and art to brighten the lives of these individuals. I ran the arts and crafts room with a friend, and made bead bracelets with our guests. What surprised me from the start was the positive attitudes of these adults with cerebral palsy. They weren't depressed or annoyed with life. They seemed only to be grateful for all the blessings life had given them and they were more carefree than most of my friends.

I loved getting to know these people. One woman named Tina, or "Tee" for short, couldn't wait to make a bracelet for her boyfriend. Watching the adults sit together and laugh reminded me of my high school lunch room, although I doubted that here you would be made fun of for sitting with the wrong clique. Sometimes we forget how alike we all are. Tee has hopes and dreams, just like everybody else.

She was already calling me "Aims" when Tee said she wanted the green and blue beads for her bracelet. I quickly got as many as there were and helped her thread each bead onto the string. She didn't care too much when there weren't enough left to finish the rest of her bracelet; she just asked for the second best: white. In beading, just like in life, Tee took what she was given and made the best of it. Before our time together was up, we were rapping to the radio and dancing. She had even made me a bracelet, too. I knew I had begun to make a difference in her life and she in mine when we both couldn't stop smiling.

As I remember the Annual Cerebral Palsy Carnival, I don't remember missing school. I forgot about all the studying I had to do. I look at the bracelet on my wrist and think about how we can appreciate life by bringing joy into somebody else's. The simple act of making bracelets brought a new perspective to the lives of those of us who participated in this act of chesed.  Until then I didn't really think one person had the power to change the world. Now I know they do, even if it is only one bead at a time.