As I walked down Michigan Avenue two weeks ago, feeling sad and as if I never wanted to see another person again I heard the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching me from behind. A muffled “Hey!” splashed into my ears. Slightly alarmed, I quickened my pace, not wanting to deal with anyone – particularly not a stranger.

I finally reached my destination and flung the door open, sliding in like butter on a hot skillet.

“Wait!” someone yelled again. A hand firmly grasped the door. I whisked around, panicked, with my heart racing.

My eyes met those of the bright, sunny face of a young man. “Here,” he said, thrusting out a red tulip, “For you.” He then turned away and raced down the sidewalk, out of sight. I held the tulip between my fingers, gazing incredulously out the window.

Retelling this story, I realized my my 30-second encounter with the tulip man made me feel like things were going to be OK, just knowing someone who had nothing to gain from my happiness still cared.

I asked my friends if anything similar had ever happened to them. “No,” “nope,” “naw” and “huh uh” were the general responses.

One of my friends replied, “This is the real world. People don’t roll like that.” My heart sank. Random acts of kindness like these are what make the days a little easier to get through.

I’m sure when you greet someone and ask how they’re doing, they say, “I’m fine,” “I’m good,” or “I’m doing well.” Yet the second you let your guard down and express how you really feel, others suddenly chime in. They’ve felt the same way.

Many people are sad, but they don’t want to talk about. Depression in particular is a widespread campus problem that is not discussed the way we talk about body image or alcoholism or other so-called taboos. There’s a stigma that surrounds depression and makes it shameful.

This is one reason it is all the more important to drop yourself for a second and do something for someone else. Chances are, if you feel like eating a pint of ice cream and putting that machet