I was barely nine when it happened: when I stumbled off to the world of the unknown, to a world very different from the one you and I know of, and I remember it as if it were yesterday.

It was a glorious Saturday morning, the sun was glowing its ever bright flames, surrounded by dozens of dancing clouds. I was strolling around the new house that we've moved in to barely a week ago, just discovering the beauty of the two-story monument. My moments of peace, however, did not last for long.

"Hey, give it back! It's mine!" my brother, Jacob's voice erupted into the cheerful atmosphere, rudely disrupting the peacefulness of the place.

"Come and get it! Pussy-cat!" I heard my sister, Jessica yell.

I sighed, and sunk into the old, worn-out armchair in the corner of my room: my favorite place to sit when I needed to be alone.

As the youngest of the family, I was generally an outsider among my two very obnoxious siblings and their constant fights. It shouldn't have surprised me really, that my brother and sister would have nothing better to do than to bicker, even on such a pleasant morning as this one.

I don't know what got into me that day , but, listening to their unstoppable arguing, I closed my eyes. This is when the unexplainable happened. I saw a flash of light, then, suddenly, I was falling through darkness.

I felt my feet hit something hard. I heard a distant voice, beckoning me.

"Come Judy, and I will show you the origins of our world, a place very different from yours." it said.

I walked blindly through the dark, then gasped as light suddenly filled my eyes. I looked around. I was surrounded by people walking around, all with smiles on their faces and greeting everybody they passed.

Then, suddenly, it was as if I were guided by a version of my own conscious. The next thing I knew, I was inside this ordinary family house. I saw a family of four gathered around a dining table. What looked liked the son was reading a colorful journal.

"I'd love some feedback after you're finished reading my diary." the daughter was saying.

"Sure." I heard the boy reply.

Then, I noticed the parents. Each one of them was smiling and complimenting the other's cooking.

"Hmm. Your steak is the best dish of work I've ever tasted." the dad said, holding his wife's hand in his.

The wife gave him the most pleasant smile and replied, "Not as good as your fried chicken. Race you to the kitchen again tomorrow."

Then, as suddenly as the scene had appeared, it vanished, and the next thing I know, I was standing in a broken down shack that reeked of the smell of mice. The only furniture I could see in there was a worn-out stove. The bed was an old blanket rolled out on the floor, and a candle was used as the only lighting source.

There was an old lady there, her face full of wrinkles, but the most cheerful smile was spread out on her face. She looked as happy as can be, with not a single worry in the world.

As I leaned in closer, it appeared that she was cooking something: a rather large turkey that smelled delightful, despite the horrible scent of dead rodents in the place.

"Oh, I just can't wait to donate this festive feast to charity. It just delights me so much to see all the little smiles on the children's faces." she murmured happily to herself.

The old lady herself was so bony and skinny, it looked like her entire body consisted only of bones. Her eyes popped out as if they were too big for her dried out, skeleton face. It looked like she hadn't eaten in years. I was just about to go over and speak to her when...

Without warning, the flash of blinding light appeared once again and the next thing I knew, I was back in my own bedroom. The bright sun was still shining persistently outside, accompanied with butterflies fluttering everywhere. Jacob and Jessica's fight was still ongoing, but I had something greater to ponder on...
***

Now, the nine year old me had become a fully grown adult, and everywhere I go, I spread the good wisdom to others. I had become a full time preacher and motivational speaker, telling others about the significance of peace, and the knowledge that whoever you are, and whatever situation you are faced with, there's always something to be happy about and grateful for. The best gift one could ever hope for is the ability to give. I long to make the world a better place.

Whether the vision was a dream or not, I never came to find out. All I know was, that experience totally changed my life and the way I viewed the world. I hope this story would influence you as much as it did to me.