Gym class may be the easiest class for some kids in school, but for others, it\u2019s the roughest. For the not-athletically-inclined, P.E. can feel like torture, both physically and psychologically. Oliver Foit was one of the kids for whom gym class was fine. But he recognized that wasn\u2019t the case for all. He shared a\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gym class may be the easiest class for some kids in school, but for others, it\u2019s the roughest. For the not-athletically-inclined, P.E. can feel like torture, both physically and psychologically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oliver Foit was one of the kids for whom gym class was fine. But he recognized that wasn\u2019t the case for all. He shared a story about a gym class experience when he was 14 that he said changed the way he treated people for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI remember I was in gym class and my teacher had chosen me to be one of the captains to pick teams for basketball,\u201d he shared in an Instagram video. \u201cAnd I remember I was getting ready to make my pick, and I was standing up in front of everyone. And before I did, I saw this girl that was sitting in the back of the class, and she usually got picked last. She was a little bit heavier set, wasn\u2019t really super coordinated, wasn\u2019t really into sports, which is fine. I called her name, and I remember she looked up and was like, \u2018Me?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foit said his friend, the other captain, leaned over to him and asked, \u201cWhy\u2019d you pick her?\u201d Foit responded, \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The girl came up and stood right behind Foit. He told her to stand next to him since she was on his team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe stood next to me, and I remember my friend was getting ready to pick whoever he was going to pick. And I remember she whispered something in my ear that I\u2019ll never forget. She leaned over and said, \u2018Are you sure?\u2019 And it kind of hit me. I looked over at her, and I said, \u2018Absolutely.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a rogue decision. Competition means picking the best athletes first, right? Everyone knows that. But this wasn\u2019t an NBA coach choosing players for a professional sports team\u2014it was P.E. class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From that moment on, Foit picked the kids who normally didn\u2019t get picked to join his team. It paid off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat gym class was one of the most fun gym classes I\u2019ve ever had in my life,\u201d Foit said. \u201cBecause I remember it wasn\u2019t about trying to prove something or having your friends competing or anything like that. It was seriously about just having fun and including people\u2026it was so fun. And I didn\u2019t shoot one time, I was just passing the ball the whole time, and it was so fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was his freshman year. Fast forward to graduation. After the ceremony, the girl from gym class four years earlier approached him and grabbed his arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShe looked at me, and she said, \u2018Oliver, I still remember when you picked me first when we played basketball in ninth grade.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018Really? I remember that too.\u2019 And she\u2019s like, \u2018That was the only time I was picked first for anything in school.\u2019 And that hit me really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years later, that act of kindness still meant something to her. Foit said he shared the story in the hope that it might inspire people to be kind and more aware of those around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt takes so little to be kind to someone, but it makes such a big impact on them,\u201d he said. \u201cInclude people. That\u2019s what the world\u2019s about. It\u2019s about including people and being kind to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story did inspire people, both from the perspective of someone who experienced the impact of being kind and from those on the receiving end of that kindness. Here\u2019s what people are saying in the comments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing a good person is more rewarding and enriching than anyone could imagine. It is life changing for the person doing the deed as much as it is for the person it done for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are so awesome. I was that girl in high school. I wish I knew someone like you then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn school, I was always picked last and bullied for just existing. After I broke out of that shell and gained confidence, I made it a point to make those still in their shells feel welcome & included. Thinking back, it\u2019s amazing how sometimes it only takes one person to crack that shell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was a skinny, sickly version of that girl. I remember kids arguing over who had to take me for PE. More than once, I was part of a 2-for-1 deal after all the other kids were picked. I\u2019m 60, and I haven\u2019t forgotten. Bless you, Oliver.\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a girl who also was always picked last in school\u2026 thank you. I have no doubt that small gesture impacted and changed her in ways you\u2019ll never know.\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom every \u2018last picked in gym class\u2019 kid, thank you. I guarantee you that she still thinks about this moment to this day. I know I would.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis made me cry. I was always picked last. That would\u2019ve changed my life if I was her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt my 30th reunion last summer, a woman walked up to me and hugged me tight. She said to her husband who I hadn\u2019t yet met, that I was nice to her in high school. I was taken back for a moment bc she was this girl in the back of gym who was probably never chosen. I smiled and responded with \u2018Of course. We were friends. You were so easy to love.\u2019 We both cried. I hope your feed finds as many people as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even Katie Couric responded: \u201cOkay Oliver. I love you. You\u2019re so right. Pick the person who might get picked last. Go talk to the person at the dance who is alone and looks uncomfortable. Ask the new kid to sit at your table for lunch. Simple, seemingly small acts of kindness make a huge difference. You are going to be a successful human.\u00a0\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a simple but beautiful reminder of the power of a kind act. (And perhaps an indication that we should stop picking teams this way in gym class?)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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