Mandaue Woman And Child

On a jeep from Lacion (Consolacion, Cebu) to the city center (Cebu City), we stopped (due to the usual traffic) at this corner under the Maguikay flyover. And I saw this...
What initially drew my curiosity was that this Manang was selling jewelry & trinkets where her wares were laid out in what looked like a barbecue grill (barbekyuhan ba).

Syempre pa, I immediately thought: "ingenious duality"! Yep, some folks (her family?) grill/sell barbecue at that very same corner in the evenings, but none during the day.

I imagined, the uling would probably be now under her alahas. Yan ang abilidad!

I stole a shot w/ my camera (dapat phone). At ayan tuloy, OMG she saw me do that!
I thought she would get mad, protest & reprimand me for doing that. So, I was ready to honestly delete the photo and sincerely apologize the moment she said anything.

But... she instead said something for that cute little dude to face the camera, as she waved to me some of her products (what she sells). And, he immediately complied!

Aw, no questions nor hesitation. He just looked at me with that sweet hearty smile.
Hard to forget that smile. Innocently sweet and real. He even waved both his hands!

All I could do was bow (nod actually) to acknowledge their genuine friendliness.

That got me thinking...
Life is hard on many of us, but whatever our circumstance, being happy and jolly is a choice. In this case, Manang Vendor has chosen well. Damay ang bata! I love this.

I wish that kid would grow to smile at his own achievements, until they grow out of selling things under a flyover at noon, beyond what he or the Manang (her Nanay? or Lola?) could ever dream of.

I melted the rest of the way. Life can be this difficult (at 1:56PM on a hot February). But that depends on anyone's point of view. And life grows out of that point of view.

Manang was/is happy, the little dear is happy, what am I being so dramatic about?!

OMG the smile in that kid...
#CentralVisayas #TravelPhilippines #sidewalkvendor
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