Si Manong ;-)

Went to NBS Recto and try to figure out some good buys.  On my left ear was my earphone and on the left pocket was my MP4 player… so in short, my mind was overly focused not on crossing the streets but on the music I was hearing at that time.  I was about to cross when my attention was caught by an old man riding an old bicycle with tires hanging at the back… he was about to hit me… so my senses brought me back to the real world…

The old man, I think, was selling old tires for profit…  Full of sweat and looked a lil dirty… his black shirt looked dirty, too…  you will actually feel that he's too tired…

But what strikes me the most was… he winked at me 4x and gave me a very sweet smile when he saw that I was about to bump on him… I smiled back and waited until he crossed the other street… he was happily biking… I was looking at him till got there… the smile was still there… I saw him waving at me from a far and shouted…

Mag-iingat ka sa pagtawid.  Sayang ang ngiti mo pag nasagasaan ka.

I nodded and smiled again.  For someone who's struggling to earn a living… For someone who doesn't have enough money… For someone who was not presentable at that time… his concern and a sincere gesture of smiling made me say to myself…

You might be poor here now… and life is not easy for you at the moment. 
But you have compassion… I wish that a great deal of luck bumps in you…
May the good Lord bless you.. as I felt blessed in a few seconds that I met you on the streets..
It made me feel… there are still more good-hearted people around… dressed in rags…
but rich in kind spirit.

I will always smile for you, Manong!