I was five years old and panic-stricken. I was separated from my parents for the first time, laying on a hospital gurney in some cold and sterile waiting area for my turn in the operating room. Through tear-filled eyes I noticed I wasn't alone, there was a man lying there on a gurney beside me. In the hazy memory he resembled a young Cat Stevens.

This man reached through the bars of his own bed to pat my hand and asked me what my name was. He told me his name, of which I forget, and shared that he was a poet. I didn't have a clue what that was. He asked if he could recite some of his poems to me. A great sense of peace washed over me the moment he began reciting his poetry.

This small act of kindness calmed my racing heart and made everything feel as if everything was going to be okay. It was the first time I realized the true power of words. This kind soul gave me only five minutes of his time but these five minutes were immensely valuable. So valuable, that the lesson has survived inside of me now for over forty years.

Small deeds can have a disproportionately large impact, they can transform lives, and create lasting change. Could this experience be partially responsible for setting me on the trajectory to become a writer and poet? Maybe or maybe not. It's interesting to think about.

“It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.”― Leo Buscaglia

I have many other examples in my life that I can share. There was Mrs. Bowl, my very first teacher, who could have made me repeat kindergarten for being out sick so many days but she didn't. Mr. Morgan, my seventh grade teacher who took an extremely skinny, shy, and awkward pre-teen boy and over the course of the school year transformed him into a much more confident young man.

There was also that one teenage boy in the group of twelve who chased me down for blocks in our inner city neighborhood on a dark Friday night in the mid-1980's with every intention of beating me up and/or robbing me. By then I had been in enough of these situations to understand what the outcome would be if they caught me and they were gaining on me fast. I sorted out all of the options in my head and chose the only one I had left, I stopped under a streetlamp, turned to face them as they ran towards me, and plunged my hand inside my jacket as if I had a gun (I know, stupid). The group stopped instantly. Suddenly this boy said to the others in his group, "Wait, I know him! It's cool, he goes to our school." He didn't have to say anything, but he did. A few of the boys kept pacing back and forth, high on adrenaline and testosterone, itching to take part in a beat down. But the moment had passed, all because of the words that one boy had the courage to utter.

"Acting on these urges takes a certain kind of courage that rarely feels comfortable. The choice is entirely up to us. The beauty is each moment presents us with new opportunities to test our wings."

Each of us are presented with tremendous opportunities. I call them angelic moments. These are tiny blips in time in which a very small act can make a big impact.

We still have free will so it's up to us to choose to step outside of our comfort zone, or not.

We can risk being ostracized by “the herd” for voicing an unpopular opinion that we truly believe in, or not.

We can have the patience to lend an ear and offer words of support or decide we're too busy and don't have the time.

Acting on these urges takes a certain kind of courage that rarely feels comfortable. The choice is entirely up to us. The beauty is each moment presents us with new opportunities to test our wings.

We simply can't help everyone but if you feel a strong urge to do or say something in a given moment, take heed. If you feel something tugging at your heart, pay extra close attention to that feeling.

Act. Don't over think. Act. It could make a huge difference in the life of someone who needs it.

The truth is angels are more common than we think. They walk among us. Sometimes they're wealthy and dressed to the nines and other times they’re homeless and wearing filthy clothes. Oftentimes these angels offer sweet words of praise but sometimes they swear at us like sailors.

Yes, sometimes the angel is even walking in your shoes.

With Gratitude,

~Eric Vance Walton~

(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)

*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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