A few years ago, I was boarding a plane by myself to Tulum, and I was feeling very anxious when I noticed a little girl in front of me wearing a Batman dress and a yellow tutu.
Her mother was snapping at her — “Quit whining!” — she said.
This put me immediately on edge and, I thought to myself that I really didn’t want to sit by them as this might trigger my anxiety more and give me a panic attack.
But after I had my initial, self-centered reaction, I felt so bad for the little girl. It was early. She was tired, and maybe the mother was, too. But maybe the girl was just scared to board the plane like I was.
If there are angels, I wish them to her, I thought, however fancifully.
Just then, I noticed the bright pink, My Little Pony backpack she was wearing.
“I like your backpack,” I said to her.
“Thank you…” she said back meekly.
“Are those ponies?”
“Yes.”
“I used to play with those when I was a kid,” I said, and smiled.
She smiled a little and looked slightly more ease. I think her mom softened, too, just a bit.
And I felt better. Far less concerned with my own anxiousness. I could be a kind of angel for her in that instant, right there in the flesh, helping to create a moment of grace I wasn’t aware I needed, too.
"Angels" by Mike Willis is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
