Resilience
A man sleeps every night on a wrought iron bench in the park across the street from my apartment in Oaxaca Mexico. At 6 o’clock, he wakes and prepares for the day. He is dressed in slacks and a sweater over a white shirt. From my veranda I watch as he meticulously folds up a big black sheet of plastic that he sleeps under…carefully shaking it out after each fold…matching the corners perfectly. He has two small backpacks that carefully hold his belongings. He washes his face and hands from a bottle of water and then picks up several pieces of cardboard that he sleeps on and puts them under one arm. He puts on a pair of glasses. Then he picks up a short white “stick” and unfolds it into full length. The tip of the walking stick is red. He walks down the street toward LLano Park. I wonder, what does a blind man do for work in Mexico…”
These stories, as Obama has said, “tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres…”
Their resolve is our inspiration.
Tags: Mexico, Oaxaca, Obama, Reflections, speech to congress, USA
Zoe
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