"A moment like this..."

There were moments in the day that made everything worth while. I walked into the nursing home, tired in body and mind. Stressed beyond reason, waiting for an end. Coming to the end of a long corridor, I spotted him. An African American man with a worn, but happy face. He's always standing sentinel, watching every motion in the hallway from under the brim of his cap. As I came closer, his eyes shifted up in greeting. I smiled and spoke a word of greeting, to which he responded, "Hello, love." Inquiries as to his well-being followed, to which he responded, "Better now that I've seen you." I laughed and said, "...same to you!" over my shoulder. It was a simple encounter, but it reminded me why I'm here. It made my day in the way only the simplest moments can. It was as simple as having a science teacher greet you by name on the sidewalk...two years after you've taken his course. It was a core course. Most of the people in that class are of no significance to the science department. In fact most of them probably haven't entered Herty Hall since. There is no earthly reason for him to remember, but yet he does. Small moments that made me smile amongst the chaos of midterms.