There are many texts that changed me this year, in and out of school, however the one that changed me the most was The Stranger. The Stranger was one of the first books we read but it stayed with me throughout the year. The Stranger’s themes of existentialism and finding the meaning in life gave me a different outlook on things. Not that I was taking it to the extreme and contemplating life’s purpose but I found it could be applied to even the smallest parts of life.

When pairing it with our beginning short stories about putting yourself into the book and applying yourself to that world, we can experience the story of The Stranger how it was meant to be experienced. After experiencing The Stranger and being introduced to its lessons and values, I then started to see more of it in my everyday life. Meursault, the main character, went through his life seemingly without a care, but when examined closely, he appreciated the smaller things of his life, to him those are what gave it meaning.

After that I began looking at my days to appreciate the little things. Just stuff as simple as making smaller observations to stay cognizant of my surroundings. I found there were a lot of things I was missing and after I started seeing them my days got better. I didn’t have to know great secrets to life but even just noticing something as small as waving good morning to the neighbors or noticing the plants first growing in during the beginning of spring. It will be different for everyone, I think it would be based on many things such as interests and hobbies, however I think there’s small things for everyone to enjoy to make their everyday life a little better. No need to complicate things with big ideas or meaningful theories, just keep it simple and appreciate the little things.