Madam – I don’t think we give enough credit to those who can create something out of nothing.
The other day I was stopped at the robot on Hardwick Street, waiting to get home. At the intersection by the Amajuba Mall, a few street entrepreneurs were peddling their wares. Now normally, I do not give these sellers the time of day, as you hear daily how you should not trust people, especially at the robots.
For some reason that day, I actually took the time to look at what was being offered to me through my closed window, and I was really very surprised!
These men are making beer glasses using old beer bottles. Now, the reason I was impressed was because I was so blown away by the ingenuity and simplicity of the goods that I actually pulled off at the side of the road and asked to see the products for myself.
I actually wanted to check the product was properly made and not full of cracks or other flaws. But what I saw prompted me to actually part with some of my very hard-earned money. The glasses were beautifully made.
It took recycling glass objects to a whole new level, and you could see the pride on the face of the man who presented it to me. I asked him how long it took him to make the products, and where he got the equipment and techniques from, and he told me he scavenged for bottles in bins and recycle centres, and he used a friend’s garage and equipment to make his glasses.
He also said each set of six glasses took him more than a week to complete, and also said each one was different depending on the state of the bottles he retrieved.
From his explanation, it was clear he took pride in his work and that is so rare to see these days. While this economy continues to deteriorate, there are people like this out there, working hard and working honestly to put food on the table.
These are the kinds of people we should be supporting. We should take the time to hear their stories and learn from them, because they always have so much wisdom to impart.
I want to ask my fellow residents not to just write off the street sellers at robots so quickly. If you have the time and the means, look at their products and try to support local entrepreneurs. They may just teach you a life lesson you never knew you needed to learn!
Mich
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