A Pair of Shoes
In the midst of Jinnah
Market, Islamabad; in the cacophony and crowds, drowned in the voice of a small
boy who seemed to be wallowing in anxiety of not being able to sell a few flags
all day long. While everyone was busy celebrating independence of the country,
the boy however, seemed to be laser-focused on grabbing the next opportunity
that could enable him to reduce the articles he was cautiously holding in his
hand.
That tiny figure drew
my attention the moment I stepped out of my car, since the penury, at times
could take you out from self-indulgence in its own remarkable way. While the
air carried a sense of ebullience, there was not a modicum of joy over the
young boy’s face and that stood him apart from the rest of the crowd.
On seeing me
approaching towards him, his face lit up and he instantly put forward a flag to
me while deploying his innocence as the best marketing tool he had. What arouse
my interest was his fungal affected feet and his absolute indifference towards
them. At first, I considered to hand him out a bill of 500 but then changed my
mind and instead tagged him along to buy him a pair of shoes.
While paving our way
towards the stall, I heard a meek voice saying ‘can we go to that shop
(pointing towards the Bata outlet across the street). Next moment we were
making our way to the outlet to get Asif his sandals. His name was Asif and he
was candidly talking to me now; telling me about his mother and how he travels
every day from a distant place in the suburbs of Islamabad to get to the urban
center where chances of enhancing his livelihood are better off.
On entering into the
Outlet, a shift in attitude was seen among people and well it was because of Asif.
It was a behavior that juxtaposed disgust and sympathy. Asif clearly did not
bear any semblance of a customer, and seemed to be oblivious of how he was the center
of attention. With the lanky legs but bright eyes, he was hewing his way to the
rack where his favorite sandals were placed. His excitement was sky-touching
and in a bouncy manner he told me, ‘This is the pair I want and this won’t even
hurt me'.
It was surprising to
see a languished figure turned into a joyful spirit in a matter of sometime. We
got the shoes and I left him with an advice to take proper care of his feet and
a wish that I could make his mind about getting an education which he thought
was not possible as he was the bread winner of his family.
Asif gave me enough
food for thought and made me realize certain ignored realities.
Little Blessings Taken
Forgranted:
What Asif did not have, was insignificant and small for me only up
until I saw Asif gliding through the roads, bare feet, surviving the torrid
days and coarse dark nights. How I never took into account all the little
things that are of great importance yet are overlooked.
Being Grateful V
Self-Indulgence:
Asif was exhilarated on getting a pair of shoes because he would not
be hurt any longer in his feet and that is the definition of being grateful. While
I on the other hand, have been buying stuff unnecessarily and keep on compounding
things and that is the definition of self-indulgence.
Resilience V Fragility:
Asif was not crying over his fate while he was trying his best to
sell off the flags he had and that resilience had made him forget about his
sore feet while I at times on catching a benign flu go on to think I cannot
function properly.
Apparently, God had
sent me to Asif to buy him a pair of shoes and had taken me to him to be mentally
stimulated – to get to know more about myself, about life.
Thank you Asif!
About the Author: Believes in herself!
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