The little boy who cleans shoes and laughs.

The boy who cleans shoes and laughs.I came across this picture on Tumblr, and it made me smile. Normally, I reblog, like and flip to another picture, but this time, I didn’t do that. I found myself turning off the music I was listening to, and staring in silence into this little boy’s face. There’s something about it, something happy, yet far from the happy we all know.

In his dilapidated undershirt, that is no longer white, and the old jeans, he sits there smiling like he is eating his favourite chocolate bar or candy. I stared and found no candies or chocolate; just a little boy and a man’s foot. His job is repetitive, boring and not fun for a boy at his age. He is not supposed to be doing this. He is supposed to be drawing, dancing or playing around with his friends. With his box of tools and restless, tiny body, he is cleaning peoples’ shoes for living. He is obliged to face feet everyday and clean the shoes of the customers, not caring that at some point it would be humiliating to spend your life cleaning shoes with the fact that the customers' legs are pointed to his face.

If I were in his place, I would have been asking myself many questions like: Why don’t they just get the brush and clean their shoes for themselves? Is it that tiring or hard task to clean your shoes every once in a while like you wash your face every morning? I don’t think so. 

I stared closer at the picture and found the big cheerful smile on the boy’s face. It has stories. He seems so happy, and not the fake happy. He’s really happy. Waiting for his few pennies after cleaning the man’s shoes in the picture, he is laughing his heart out. Looking at the lens and posing for the picture, he’s laughing harder. Finding happiness and the beauty of life in its simplicity, he couldn’t frown.

I wish I could see him doing his job and I am pretty sure he is talented in what he does. He seems so satisfied and filled even though I he must be having many other wants for a boy at his age. I am wondering a lot about his face and his life details. I tried to look deeper into his face marks to imagine or make up a story for him, but I found nothing but gratefulness and blessings. I tried to look at his hands, and all I found are dirty tiny hands holding the brush, ready to wash off the dust covering the shoe in the picture.

Sigh.

You might find him unclean, but to me, I find this boy so pure and clean. His face looks like he is on cloud nine as if there is nothing to worry about. I don’t know his story, but all I can think of that he’s from a poor family where he leaves all his desires and fun just to get few coins to survive.
I said “Survive”. You sir, and you ma’am..We are all surviving. We are the fittest and we are living, probably better than this young boy and others. You will tell me he’s young and didn’t go through what you are passing through. Yeah, I know commitments are tough but his life is harder and he managed to smile like that.

That’s the difference. You never stop complaining, neither do I. It’s shameful in a way though and we should all feel so embarrassed because we have happiness while he does not. He doesn’t have it, but he knitted it for himself, out of nothing.

You sir, and you ma’am work behind that desk, feel like drowning and cussing every few minutes because you feel tired and pressured by workloads. I don’t think you’d ever have this smile if someone asked to take a picture of you while you are working. That’s the line, the fine line between you and this little boy or other like him.
I don’t know what made this post ended up too long like that, but all I know that we should stop complaining, and become more thankful for everything we own, and every coin we have.

Have a good Friday y'all.
Reem Khorshid