He walked slowly but cautiously. A sweet little man he was. He couldn’t walk fast though. His hands were trembling. But he had a smile on his face. He was wearing dirty workman clothes and his hand had grease stains. He was smiling at everyone.

It was the hospital waiting room.

People with many ailments and moody faces. No one had a smile. Some were worrying whether the insurance will cover what they have and some were worried will they ever be normal again defeating the disease they are suffering from.

This man was walking through all of them glancing at every face and then smiling goofily. No one could ignore him and they had to smile back politely. They forgot their pain for a moment and watched him limp and smile.

He played with a kid who looked sad and the kid started laughing. Then the kid started playing and he started jumping along clown-like with the kid.

There were angelic nurses in their whites walking around and there was that sadness cloud that was hanging in the waiting room, but then there was him.

Now, he had started singing. It was an on old John Denver song and someone in the crowd picked up the rhythm and started singing along slowly.

It was a concert atmosphere now and the pain they carried seemed to ebb slowly but surely.

It was for a fleeting moment and then he was tired.

He had his pain too.

He sat down and looked at everyone. For once, he grimaced and looked sad.

Everyone collectively looked at him and smiled.

And the kid climbed on to his lap and grinned.

I closed my eyes.

Humanity survives not because of heroes on the silver screens, but heroes like the one I saw right now.

I have decided to smile at strangers to ease their pain, would you?