I want to help...

Thousands of people walk the streets of Chicago everyday. Of the few hundred I see, I'd say about 75% of them are alone. Half of these people are okay with being alone, some even seem happy to be walking with no one but themselves. And the other half are either having a bad day, or are genuinely lonely. And please don't quote me on these inaccurate statistics, they are simply an estimate.
Although most of us can claim to have been "lonely" at some point in our lives, I'm not so sure we truly know the meaning of the word. I've been "there". Loneliness has struck me over the head several times in the past and I have dealt with the bruises it left me.  I have come to find out, however, that these feelings should never have been felt. Or maybe I should not have let them exist. They had no right to be a part of my life. Not once in my entire 22 years of living have I been alone. Physically, yes, of course. But mentally and emotionally, absolutely not. Growing up with a family like mine, it is entirely impossible to ever be alone. On the worst of my bad days, on the loneliest of my sad nights, there was always someone to call. There was always someone on my side. Now I'm realizing how much this was taken for granted, and I am ashamed. I am ashamed that I let myself believe I was ever alone, when I knew I wasn't. I miss my family like crazy every single second of every day; sometimes it seems unbearable. However, I am not alone. Not in the slightest. I am fortunate enough to have family at all.  My heart has been aching lately, though. Not for myself, but for those that are truly alone. It's hard for me to believe, but there are people out there that have no one but themselves. They don't have loving parents to take care of them, they don't have sisters and brothers to watch over them, they don't have true friends to care about their feelings. They have no one. These are the people that have every right to feel lonely. And these are the people that I want to scoop up in my arms and take loneliness away from. I cannot imagine a life without a mom to help me through my bad days, or a dad to call when I'm in a bad situation. I can't imagine not having sisters to share interests with and giggle uncontrollably with.  I cannot imagine a life without someone. A life without support. Because of this, I have made it my personal mission to help these people that are truly alone. And to help people in general. I have a strong urge to change people's lives and make people smile. Not only to receive self-gratification, but mainly because everyone deserves to feel happiness. I've felt enough happiness in my life to spread to millions of people. It would be selfish of me to keep it all to myself. I will start small. Today I sent in my application to be a volunteer at the local Ronald McDonald House twice a month. I hope my efforts grow and I am one day able to change someone's life. 
Until then, I can pass out plenty of smiles. As we all know, it doesn't take much for us to do it, but it may be the only smile someone sees all day. That, to me, is worth it.