What You Are

Very short inspirational story

Avery, A homeless man has the curious ability to grant success and prosperity to anyone who takes the time to talk to him. The old man sits on the steps outside Union Station in Chicago where a woman offers him money. He rejects and tells her that he just wants somebody to talk to. Later that day, a man that just lost his job is depressed and they talk while the man was waiting for his train.

The man gets on the train where he unknowingly meets the woman that Avery had spoken to earlier that day. It just so happens that she lost an employee and came to Chicago looking for somebody to hire.

The next day, while sitting outside the station he meets a thug. The thug, after talking to Avery decides to take him to lunch instead of meeting with his gang that afternoon. He finds out later that a brawl had taken place and there were no survivors.

The thug shows up at Union Station the next day and offers to take Avery to lunch again so he can explain what happened and how he saved his life.

The thug decided to change his lifestyle.

He becomes friends with Avery, and offers to help him but Avery declines. The ex-thug soon realizes that Avery has a special gift of helping others and he says how is it that you can help others, but not yourself?

Avery tells him that people believe only what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. If I were dressed in a suit with a fresh haircut and shave, would you have talked to me that day?

Avery says No.

Then Avery says if you were indeed a bad person, you would never have helped me that day. When you helped me, you helped yourself. You helped yourself because it changed your self perspective. People are the most impressionable creatures on this earth.

Whatever you see yourself as, is what others see in you, and what other people see in you, is what you see in yourself.

People will do exactly what they are expected to do. And they will become exactly what they are expected to become.

The thug then smiles and says, I finally figured out what you are. You're not a bum, you're an Angel.

Avery smiles and replies, Only because that's what I chose to be.