Before going to Switzerland for a visit to my sister and my nephews, I decided to have a proper hair cut, because many times I do it myself. However, seeing a good number of people waiting in the barbershop, I went back home. Then, my brother-in-law took me to the barber he usually goes to. He is a retired happy man, who keeps himself busy, enjoying his job.
A barbershop is always a place for all kinds of talk. As I am not a good talker, he did it all. Appreciating life, he mentioned what he considered the best in this life, the blessings for which he was thankful. The best that happened to him was to be born. Indeed, how important it is to be thankful for life and to appreciate its best moments. As a young man, he spent time in Guinea-Bissau, during the colonial war. However, he hardly mentioned the war, but put the stress on that extraordinary experience, which gave him the opportunity to learn and to meet people of different cultures. Coming back to Portugal, he became a bus driver and travelled through most of the European countries, taking people around in different tours. Doing his job, he enjoyed it and got the best out of it.
As time passed and he was becoming old, he decided to prepare for retirement, bringing back the profession of a barber that he learnt as a teenager. And he enjoys it, because it gives him time to talk and to share the goodness of life. His name is Manuel (or Emmanuel), which means God-with-us, and he manifests God’s presence, as he celebrates life.
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