Just thinking about others.

The feeling of doing something for someone who really needs it, or who is lost in various ways, or perhaps contributing something you have with the sole aim of bringing smiles and happiness to the other person... that feeling is the most wonderful thing in the world.

Every time I have had the opportunity to help many people with simple things such as words, encouragement, and support, I have felt the need to do so. I have been like this all my life; my heart simply rejoices on those occasions. But there are two moments that I remember right now, two moments close together in time, when I loved being able to give what the other person needed without further ado. I never called myself altruistic; in fact, I never use that word, but simply support, help.

When I arrived in Spain, everything was too hard. I was so lost, alone, overwhelmed, stressed; everything was a world unto itself, but I managed to learn and get through the first difficult months. Two months after arriving, when I had everything more or less in order, my papers and so on, an acquaintance of my brother's arrived from Argentina with the same goal and in the same circumstances as me, a young man of 25, but the difference was that I was already here and I offered to help him with everything. I didn't want him to go through what I had gone through; I knew how it felt.