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The joy of a prideful tradition 1 I first met him in 1965 when I rushed into his little shop to have the heels of my shoes repaired. He greeted me with a cheerful smile and instant hospitality. "You're new in this neighborhood aren't you?" 2 Indeed I had moved into a house at the end of the street only a week before. 3 "This is a fine neighborhood" he said. "You'll be happy here." 4 I sat there with my shoes off watching as he got ready to stitch up my shoes I'd entrusted to him. He looked sadly at the leather covering the mount of the heel. It was worn through because I had failed to have the shoes patched a month ago. I grew a little impatient for I was rushing to meet a friend. "Please hurry" I begged. 5 He looked at me over his spectacles. "Now don't worry. I won't be long. This handicraft is my specialty and I want to do a good job." He was silent a moment. "You see I have a tradition to live up to." 6 A tradition? In this simplistic little shop that was no different from so many other shoe-repair shops on the residential side streets of Washington? The thought seemed a bit absurd. 7 He must have sensed my bias for he smiled with a gleam in his eyes as he went on. "Yes I inherited a tradition. My father always told me 'Son do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop and be proud of your fine work. If you work with dedication you'll always have happiness and money.'" 8 As he handed me the finished shoes he said "These will last a long time. I've utilized good leather." 9 I left in a hurry but I had a warm and grateful feeling. On my way home I passed the little shop again. There he was sitting amongst his tools still working. He saw me and he waved and smiled as cordial as could be. That was the beginning of our friendship a fellowship that came to mean more and more to me as time passed. 10 Thereafter we waved to each other in a friendly greeting when I passed his shop every day. At first I went in only when I had repair work to be done. Then I found myself lingering in his store or dropping in every few days just to chat with him for the joy he would impart. 11 He was a tall man bent from long years of work. What little hair he had was gray; his face was deeply lined. His personality was clear but never stern. And I remember best his fine dark eyes alive with his charitable carefree and humorous spirit. 12 He was the happiest man I've ever known. Often as he stood in front of his door overseeing the street working at a pair of shoes he sang a beautiful melody in a high clear voice. Neighbors nicknamed him "the singing cobbler". The neighborhood children loved him. He'd periodically pause his work to referee arguments or give out candy. He had no patience for bullying and would insist the children play fair in front of his store. 13 One day I came away from my house filled with fury because of a poor job some painters had done on my house. My friend waved to me as I walked by so I went into his shop to vent my frustration. He let me speak angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. "They had no pride in their work" I said. "They just wanted to collect money for doing nothing! The undutiful attitude these days is almost a sin." 14 He consoled me saying "There's a lot of that kind around but maybe we should not blame them too rashly. Maybe their parents had no pride in their work. That's hard on a child. It keeps a child from learning what's important." 15 "What can be done about it?" I asked. 16 He pondered that for a minute before answering. Then he looked at me seriously. "There is only one way. Every man or woman who hasn't inherited a prideful tradition must start building one. In this country each of us can make our own contribution to the fabric of society and we must endeavor to make it a good one. No matter what sort of work a person does if we give it our best each day we're starting a tradition for our children to live up to. When a person amends their ways and learns to take pride in their work a lifetime of happiness will ensue." 17 I traveled for a few months on business and shortly after my return I walked down the street looking forward to seeing my friend again. Yet when I arrived I found the door closed. There was a little sign: "Call for shoes at shop next door." 18 I went into the next shop and what I heard pierced my heart. Yes the old man had passed away. He was stricken with an infectious illness two weeks before and died two days later. 19 I went away with a wretched void in my heart. I would miss him terribly. But he had left me something an important piece of wisdom I will invariably remember: "If you have inherited a prideful tradition you must carry it on; if you haven't then start building one now." 光荣传统带来的欢乐 第一次见他是在1965年，当时我匆匆进入他的小店去修我的鞋跟。他露出开心的笑容，马上热情地招呼我，“你刚搬到这附近，是吗？” 的确，一周前我才刚搬进街道尽头的那栋房子。 “这一带挺好的，”他说，“你生活在这儿会开心的。” 我脱了鞋坐在那儿，看着他准备动手缝补我交给他的鞋。他惋惜地看着包鞋跟底的皮革。一个月前鞋就该补了，现在那块皮已经磨穿了。因为还要急着去见一位朋友，我有点不耐烦了。“请快点儿，”我请求道。 他从眼镜上方看了看我。“别急，要不了多久的。这手艺是我最拿手的，我想做好点。”他沉默了一会儿。“你知道，我得遵守传统。” 传统？就这家和华盛顿住宅区那么多街边修鞋店没什么区别的简陋小铺子？这想法好像有点荒唐。 他准是觉察到了我的不屑，因为他两眼闪烁着光芒，微笑着继续说道：“是的，我继承了一个传统。我父亲总对我说：‘儿子，每只拿到店里的鞋都要修到最好，并且为自己的细活骄傲。如果你尽心工作，就总会拥有快乐和金钱。’” 把修好的鞋递给我时，他说：“这鞋能穿很长时间，我用的是好皮料。” 我急匆匆地离开了，但觉得既温暖又感激。回家途中我又经过那家小店，他坐在工具中间，还在工作。看见我，他热诚友好地挥手微笑致意。从此我们的友谊就开始了，这是一段随着时间流逝对我越来越重要的交情。 从那以后，我每天经过他的店的时候，我们都友好地彼此挥手问好。刚开始我只是在有东西要修的时候才进去，后来我发现自己呆在他的店里或隔几天去拜访一下完全是为了和他聊天，享受他带来的快乐。 他身材高大，多年工作弄得有点驼背，不多的头发已经灰白，脸上皱纹纵横。他个性鲜明，但从不严苛。此外，我尤其记得他那双动人的黑眼睛，洋溢着和善、快乐与幽默。 他是我见过的最快乐的人。经常，他站在店门口，朝着大街，一边修理鞋子，一边高声清晰地唱着动听的曲子。街坊们戏称他为“鞋匠歌手”。周边的孩子都喜欢他，他时不时会停下工作去调解争吵或者分发糖果。他不能容忍欺凌弱小，坚持让孩子们在他店前面公平游戏。 有一天，因为几个油漆匠把我的房子弄得不像样子，我怒气冲冲地从家里出来。路过他的小店时，已是朋友的他冲我招手，我便走进他的店里发泄郁闷。他听我气愤地诉说现今工人工作糟糕，粗心马虎。“他们对自己的工作没有荣誉感，”我说，“他们只想挣钱却不想做事。如今这种不负责的态度简直就是一种罪过。” 他安慰我说：“身边有许多那样的人，不过我们或许不要太急于怪罪他们。可能他们的父母就对自己的工作没有自豪感。这对孩子来说很不好，让他们没法知道什么东西才是重要的。” “对此我们能做什么呢？”我问。 回答之前他想了一会儿，然后认真地看着我，“只有一个办法。一个人如果没有光荣传统可以继承，那他/她就必须开始去建立一个。在这个国家，我们每个人都能为社会建设做出自己的贡献，我们必须努力把它做好。不管一个人做什么样的工作，只要我们每天都把它做到最好，我们就在为自己的孩子建立一个可遵循的传统。当一个人修正自己的方式并学会以自己的工作为荣时，快乐的一生就会随之而来。” 我在外出差了几个月，一回来就上街，期望再见到我的朋友。可是我那儿时却发现门关着，一张小告示上写着“取鞋请到隔壁店”。 我走进隔壁店里，听到的消息让我心如刀绞。是的，这位老人已经过世了。两周前他突然患了传染病，两天后就去世了。 离开时，我心里空落落的，痛苦不已。我会很怀念他，非常地怀念。不过他已给我留下了一些东西——一句我将永远牢记的隽语：“如果你继承了一个光荣传统，就必须把它传承下去；如果你没有，那现在就开始建立一个。” |
