An Open Letter to the Egyptian Butcher Who Taught Me How to Be Happy

 

Dear Ahmed, I was running some errands with my grandmother at one Egypt’s popular grocery stores and I met you. I met you for 15 minutes and I’m grateful that I did. As brief as those 15 minutes may sound, I have to say that you made my entire day.

 

I’m used to having people around me that can talk about hating their jobs for days and days and how miserable they feel waking up everyday having to do the same exact things over again. But I was just stunned by how  heart-lifting and contagious your spirit was, cheerfully greeting everyone that comes into the store and offering your help to whoever needed it. You didn’t know me, but that didn’t stop you from sincerely wishing me the best of luck on my 4th year in college. I just found it adorably cute when you said “eh da enty fi teb asnan? Dana lazem ageelek te3algeeny w ana 3alaya tagheezat farahek ba2a.” I know it was 3zoomet marakbeya, but it  really made my day.

You made me realize that all you need to be happy is passion for whatever it is that you do. Whether you’re a butcher, a doctor, a painter, an accountant, a poet, or a musician, all you truly need is passion that radiates from within you, a passion that’ll make you glow with contentment. No matter what you go through in life and no matter how hard the battles you need to fight to get through your day, you must never let anything stop you from cherishing all that you are and all that you have. Thank you for making me know that, Ahmed.

WE SAID THIS: The store was Awlad Ragab by the way.