I saw him coming up the airplane aisle. His face was dark like the night sky with the biggest smile. He was dressed in a type of tunic and headpiece from his country. He was singing to himself and kind of skipping as he walked with his backpack slung over his shoulder with one hand, the other swinging to the song.

I watched him get closer and hoped that in this airplane full of people who looked half alive, he was going to be my neighbour. He arrived at the seat beside me, extended his hand to me and said, "I am Guan and you look like you are going to be a great person to sit with!" I laughed out loud and shared that I thought he looked the same.

It took him seconds to open his backpack and bring out a tattered photograph of a young girl with a smile as big as his. I thought, I can't remember the last time someone on an airplane showed me a picture that was not on a technical device.

As I studied her beautiful smiling face, dressed in a bright pink dress standing next to an exotic looking tree, Guan said, "That's my daughter. She will be six years old next week and I am going now to bring her back to Canada." As the airplane took off, he told me his long, life story that led to this joyful airplane ride. I was riveted by this story: his upbringing, the hardships in his country and the story of how he had met his wife.

He touched her picture as he told me he had never met his daughter. He had to flee the country when his wife was pregnant. Now he was bringing her and her mom home to start a new life in Canada. Despite all the hardships, he could not stop smiling and being thankful for all he had.

He then said, "People in Canada do not seem that happy. Look around this airplane; look at when people pass us in the aisle. Hardly anyone smiles. They are always complaining. I wish I could take them home with me and show them how hard it is for some to live a day." Holding up his glass of water, he said, "And show them that clean water is a luxury."

As we separated in the airport for him to carry on with his journey, I told him I agreed whole-heartedly that we all need to be more thankful for our country, running water and our children.

I smiled and teared up as I watched him skip away into the crowd, singing to himself.

I lay in bed that night imagining what it would have been like for Guan to hug his daughter for the first time. I got up and kissed my sleeping children and then smiled as I noticed the glass of water on my night stand.