Don't feel sorry for your shortcomings.
A shoe salesman was putting his new goods on the counter. A boy was
watching him on the street. The boy approached the counter while the seller was
sort goods towards the window.
The boy leaned on the stick and looked new. The salesman looked at him.
The
left leg of his pants was hanging over his knee. The boy was amazed by the shoes
on display. It stayed that way for a while. Then the salesman came out and said:
My child! - he said. Did you plan to buy shoes? There is a great shoe that fits
you.
The boy looked at him.
"The shoes are very beautiful," he smiled. But my leg has been lame since
birth.
-
I don't think it matters! The seller rushed out. There is no perfect person in
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this world. Someone has no arms, and someone has no legs. And someone will not
have a mind, and someone will not have a conscience.
The boy remained silent. The seller continued:
The shoes you see now suit you. Would you like to wear it? - he said. The
boy
shook his head.
-
Thirty lire are written on it. I can't get it.
-
Now it's the season, so I will make it a little cheaper. I can drop twenty lire.
You will take a leg out of it. So, ten lire are enough for one pair of shoes. The boy
thought:
-
The other pair of shoes are useless. Who will get it? said.
"You're talking too much," laughed the salesman. I will sell it to a child without
a right leg. Do you go to school?
-
I finished the second grade. I went to the third!
"Then that's even better," said the seller. We will give you a five-lira discount
for
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being a pupil. Five lire left. So the shoes are yours! I sold!
The seller entered the store amid the child's gasp of surprise. The seller
received the shoes shown in the exhibition. He put the child in the seat and put on
new shoes. Showing the child his old shoes:
"I sold my product," he said. I would be happy if you could also sell me your
shoes.
"Are you kidding me?" The guy laughed. If it's an old shoe with worn soles,
is it worth the money?
-
You don't know, my little friend. When you don't know about antiques. The
older the antique, the more expensive it is. Therefore, I think that your shoes
should cost thirty or forty lire.
The boy was impatient. He looked like he was dreaming. Looking at the money
in the seller's trembling hand, he pushed ten liras:
-
I think twenty lire is enough. Now is the season!
The seller did not refuse his word, took back ten lire, and kissed the boy on the
cheek. The seller was very happy. Even if he sold all the goods in the store in one
day, he would not be as happy as he is now. The boy stood up. It's as if he doesn't
even need crutches. With a sad smile, the boy said:
-
My father is right. "Never regret your body defect. Don't get tired. It's God's
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work". Today, for the first time, I wasn't ashamed of my defect. Thank you!
God, let there be more people who make the half-hearted people happy.
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