Happy man

There's a special man in my life. I have never seen him, but I think of him often. He is old, not the oldest possible, but definitely not so young either. He is from a village.

Every Saturday he travels from the village to the city to sell plums. He stands in the corner of a street, with his plums. One Saturday friends of mine went to buy some. 50 cents (0,50 €) for one kilo. Not too expensive! They bought two kilos. Receiving one euro, the man seemed so happy. Later, I went to visit my friends and got to taste these plums. They were the best plums I have ever eaten. So sweet, so fruity, so fresh. I heard the story of this man, and I assure you, the plums started to taste even better.

Next Saturday it was raining. The man was there again, in the corner, standing in the rain under his umbrella, selling plums. My friends went to buy more plums. This time they were even cheaper, 40 cents per kilo. They bought three kilos and gave two euros to the man. He thanked for the generosity and seemed to be so happy, just to get two euros.

It thrills me. I don't know how I should feel about the man (or maybe I shouldn't feel anything) and I can't determine how I feel. The story seems to be at the same time happy and a bit sad. With how little one can be happy! Is that something worth aiming at? Isn't it?

Oh, by the way, the man in the photo has nothing to do with this story. He is Rrustem, an 80 years old highlander, wearing a traditional Rugovan outfit. The other photo is from the street where the man sells plums. He is not in the picture, as it was taken before the plum season.

P.S. Yes, the currency in Kosovo is Euro. Don't ask why, or how.