Ignore Me.

I tuned out the words and laughter floating around me, as I sat alone on a chair in a corner of the room. Focusing on the under-cooked blueberry muffin in my hand, I tried to remind myself that it was just a game. Tried to ignore the spreading whole I was feeling in my chest and the tell-tale prick of rejection.

I'm very easily distracted. So when I was studying and a knock sounded on my door, I got up to answer it. The next thing I new I had been roped into going to hall joint-hall worship (I think it was the promise of muffins that really convinced me). After a lovely devotional thought form the 7th floor RA, we were promised a fun game. Being the fun-loving person that I am, I figured studying could wait a little longer.

The game was simple. Everyone got a card to put on their forehead, but only those around you could read it. On each card was an instruction on how to treat the person bearing it. I was really excited, but as more and more girls passed me while only glancing at my card, I realized that I had been given the one card no one wants:

Ignore me.

So there I was, sitting on my sad armchair alone, eating a sub-par muffin, and fighting the instinct to beak down in tears and go back to my room. I knew it wasn't anything personal, but the sudden ostracizing had definitely hurt my feelings. The logical side of me knew that that there was no harm meant, but there was a wrestling match going on between logic and emotion, and it was a very close call.

Thankfully, the game ended and I was accepted back into the fray. But as I wandered back to my room with another one of those surprisingly yummy muffins, I got to thinking.

There are people that I see everyday and pass without as much as a smile or even a nod. There are people that I avoid just like everybody else, because I don't feel comfortable around them. They live they're day to day lives and get ignored.

The next time you see that one boy that nobody likes, or that really quiet girl that doesn't really talk to anybody, share a smile, introduce yourself. Who knows, maybe you'll find your new best friend.

Let's stop blocking everyone outside of our comfort zone out, and start noticing the ignored.