My fiancé has three other girlfriends. I see him every two years. He talks with his mouth full, burps, and tells dirty jokes. His name is Billy, and he’s in fifth grade. Billy is my angel on earth.
To me, angels are not perfect specimens of human behavior. They are people who exude personality and possess qualities that inspire me. Billy does. He has such a passion for learning that his classmates try harder in class. He worships all things marine, including his buoyant, plastic Jigglypuff. Billy carries his passion for fish into life, tackling every obstacle fearlessly and without abandon. He has karate moves that could kill but charisma that could charm a hurricane.
However, these killer karate skills and charisma cannot knock out his most formidable opponents – health troubles. Billy has bounced in and out of hospitals since he was born, enduring seven liver transplants and countless other surgeries. The scars on his belly multiply every year.
I went to visit him in the hospital after his last surgery. His pale skin and the web of tubes weaving out of his fragile body made my stomach somersault in pity, but seeing Billy’s smile and hearing his cackle flipped my stomach back again.
“How ya feeling?” I asked, trying not to sound too shocked.
“What do you think?” he countered angrily.
I hesitated, trying to think of the perfect thing to say to ease his pain. But before I could begin, Billy really answered my question.
“I’m just kidding. I feel great! They let me play video games every day, and Jigglypuff gets to stay in my room. See?”
I glanced over at the windowsill and saw that the plump, pink Jigglypuff was illuminated in the Chicago sun. Her ear-to-ear smile seemed to multiply the sunshine’s magnitude and spread the afternoon’s cheer. It was in this crooning Pokémon that I saw Billy.
It is his mission to live life with optimism and passion. It is his mission to spread that passion to anyone he meets. It is his mission to make other people’s lives better, no matter how minute the difference.
In my case, his mission is accomplished. Billy has given me the inspiration to live my life with passion. Angels, like Billy, make the world brighter. They inspire others. If more people would attempt to live like Billy does, the world would truly be a more loving place to live.
My fiancé proposed to me because I could cut the crusts off his PB&J. His three girlfriends love fish as much as he does. He surrounds himself with people that love what he loves. He makes me enjoy every second I see him. He talks with his mouth full because he cannot wait to say something seemingly important. He burps because he tries to sing and swallow simultaneously. He tells dirty jokes because he’ll do anything for a smile. His name is Billy, and he’s my angel on earth.