Faces & Stories: 'Manang', the smiling street vendor

We call her Manang (an older female person) and she's a street vendor.

She's been selling outside my previous school since I was in pre-school and I am now 24 y.o. There used to be a lot of them back in the day and now she's one of the two left but she's the only one stationed in front of the school and she looks lonesome. It has been quite a while since I visited my previous alma mater and when I saw her, I felt nostalgic but it didn't seem right to see her selling alone. I decided to walk to her and as always (just like before), she was wearing a smile. She told me I looked familiar and so I told her I used to go to school there, and that I used to buy toys and candies from her. She wore an even bigger smile. We talked for a bit then I bought a tiny toy from her and told her to keep the change. After I walked away, I looked back and saw her joyfully showing a couple the money I paid her and she seemed really happy.

When I went home, I asked my younger cousin who went to the same school I did about 'Manang'. She told me that Manang's goods doesn't sell that much anymore and that she would see her carry the goods during lunchtime to bring it with her while she eats lunch at home and then go back to the school to sell again.

At her age, she could enjoy retirement but she chooses to wake up and sell her goods everyday - goods that doesn't sell much anymore but she does it anyway. I wondered why?
Times have changed, trends are different, people (both children and adult) want different things than before which is perhaps why her goods are not selling anymore. But she's still selling. Again, why?

Then I remembered how happy she was when even a candy was sold. I remembered her wearing a smile, talking to kids and selling candies, flowers and toys. I remembered when we were kids, we used to run towards the gate eager to buy toys and they (the vendors) would be smiling while looking at our excited faces.

'Manang talking to a young student wanting to buy a toy'

Manang found happiness in the little things. She found happiness in what she was doing which made the little things big things. She found happiness by just simply living. Then I realized, she wasn't selling for a living anymore, she was selling for life!

She has been a good reminder for me - that life may not be that simple but we simply must continue living.
I believe that the happiness we seek and the life we're running after will be found when we stop looking cause life is meant to be lived, not chased.

Hope you had a good read! 😊

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Cheers to life and everything in between! 🍸 🍺
We got this! 💪 👊