Be someone’s angel

Nearly every day we have opportunities to help someone — often strangers. Yet do you take this opening to make someone’s day, even if it means delaying your own path a few minutes? Sometimes we’re too busy scurrying to an appointment. But if you have the flexibility, you may have a much bigger impact on their journey than you imagined. And you’ll get something in return.

During my summer trip to Turkey, two gal pals and I were running late to a meeting requiring taking the Istanbul metro. We’d never taken the metro, but a local friend got us to the nearest station and bought our tokens. We were quickly off toward our destination, but realized we could use confirmation of how to transfer to the next train.

A twenty-something woman seated across from us jumped in with advice. In fact, she was headed in the same direction and offered to escort us to the next two trains. Wow!

Upon exit, we discovered we’d have to buy another set of tokens for the next train. This meant our escort was delayed on her journey, but she waited patiently. We chatted with her along the way, even receiving a dinner restaurant recommendation.

At the next stop, instead of going to the token machine, she used her metro card to get us all through the turnstile, saving us all time. At the end of our 40-minute adventure, we were calling her our Metro Angel. We hugged when we parted. She’d made our trip much less stressful, more enjoyable, and quicker than if we’d had to figure it out on our own.

Sometimes it doesn’t take a lot of effort or delay to help make someone’s life easier, even if it’s just for a short while. When you have a chance to be an angel for someone, I hope you’ll take it. I know when I do, I get satisfaction from the ability to be of service.

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