The man who had nothing but shoes

Tweet

In Padre Faura, as I have already talked about, there are a lot of beggars. Different kinds of them actually, those without families, cripples, a woman with a dog, etc. Aside from the beggars, you can also see haggard-looking UP Manila students, supreme court employees, vendors, crazy people and other kinds of people. I even once (or twice) saw a foreigner of Black American race that does nothing but stand, hold a leaf in his hands and gently tear the leaf to pieces. I suppose he's not crazy because he really has decent clothes on. BUT there is an old man there, around 60 or maybe 70 years old who I really have a huge respect for (and I hope too that after reading this, you also will). I have never seen a man as hardworking as he is. His perseverance in his work is something that we can really learn from. What he does is he shines shoes of the employees of the Supreme court. He just has a small stool to sit on, a few rugs, maybe some sewing materials (for those that want to fix their shoes) and the wax to shine the shoes. He works every time I pass by him. Also, the thing is, he uses his hands to apply the wax. Talk about dedication. I pity him a bit because he's already old and has not yet stopped working but at the same time, I respect him a lot, because unlike beggars he chose to work for a living. It's easy to beg, but it's hard to think of how you can find a way to earn a living with only a very few materials. If ever you pass by Padre Faura St., Ermita, Manila maybe you can pass by him and let him shine your shoes to help him. :)