How to save a life

I was lucky enough to have my uncle introduce me to Nonhlanhla Khambule-Makgati who took me under her wing and gave me a holiday job with the Western Sun which her and her husband started out together (amazing couple by the way!). While I was staying with her, she took me to her grandmother’s house to celebrate her birthday with her family. Feeling a little intrusive, I spent my day outside playing with the kids in the neighbourhood and this little boy grabbed onto my heart strings and never stopped tugging. All Karabo wanted was to have his picture taken, it made him the happiest person in the world. Karabo taught me what it is to save a life. I’ve always felt like I wasn’t doing enough in life, like the only way I could be a hero was by becoming a firefighter or a world class politician, but his constant giggles quickly redefined the term "hero" for me. By looking into his eyes, you’d never tell that he spends his time trying to understand the abusive nature of his parents' relationship. From his smile, you’d never tell that his mother leaves him alone every day, and returns inebriated at ungodly hours every night.
It's encounters like these that I live for. I had just forgotten how to smile, I was about to give up my lust for laughter, when I came across the photos I took of him. They reminded me of the Mermaid Girl – she was born with her legs conjoined and so she needs a big part of her life to be be made to suit her lifestyle, And the amazing thing is that, despite everything that she goes through – from not being able to use the toilet to being teased and being looked at funny by other kids – she still smiles. She says that God made her special and pretty, like a mermaid.
I think that, even though they’ve only lived for a fraction of what we have, we can learn the most from children. We tend to over-think things and let experiences weigh us down instead of just living. Is that not what the point of life is, to live it until we can’t live it any more?