I was driving to gym today and someone caught my eye. He wasn't anybody good looking but he caught my attention. He was an employee of MPPJ (Petaling Jaya's City Council). Didn't manage to take a photo because my phone was in my pocket.
He was sweeping the sidewalk of the highway. His scrawny hands were gripping to the broom as if his life depended on it. He swept the sidewalk patiently and diligently. I had the opportunity to witness this because I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green. You can see his sweat gleaming on his forehead. There and then, I thought to myself: This is one guy whose occupation isn't looked up upon by anyone. People look at them and think "They put themselves in this situation". How not true (if indeed they thought so). They may not be able to help themselves due to many factors both internal and external. I shall not dwell so much on that.
If the job you have is a legitimate one, then you should be proud, although you don't earn a lot. So today, tell yourself that you're proud of your job. No matter how small, it gives impact. Come back to this guy, imagine if we don't have people like him to ensure that our highways are easy on the eye? It would be a disgrace. So there you go; be proud of your job.
This reminds me of something that happened a few months ago in Bangsar Baru when I was having my coffee at Starbucks. It tugged my heart-string ever so strongly and I remember the feeling until today.
I was seated facing the entrance of Starbucks. Doing my work (I sent my car for service in Bangsar and so, I took a couple of hours off from work). About after 40 mins being there, an aunty came in to ask for money. She was, in not so good a word, a beggar. We shall refer to her as the old lady. Calling her a beggar seems so derogatory. She didn't even manage to take 3 steps into the premise and the Starbucks barista shoo-ed her away. I saw the whole ordeal. She was pushing the old lady out of the premise and she had no choice but to back up, almost tripping over the step.
Witnessing the whole thing, I quickly stood up and ran towards her. She was already one shop away. I pull out a RM10 note from my wallet and handed it to her. She wasn't expecting it and she held my hand so tightly, thanking me profusely. Her grip wasn't firm but you can definitely feel that she was very happy. To us, RM10 may not mean much, but to her, it may be her many meals. When I saw her expression, I was so touched. I quickly pulled away and went back to my work in Starbucks.
Life's like that...
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