Sheeba, thank you for sharing this with us. Reflects you kindness, humility and understanding. My heart sank when i read people never came back and he mended the things. Such indifference...but your attitude shines. Much love to you ❤️
Sheeba, the moment the cobbler gestures toward the abandoned bags and footwear changes the meaning of his gruffness. His irritation begins to carry the wear of someone whose labor is repeatedly requested and then forgotten, while your return creates room for his patience, humor, and care to become visible. The second wedge he stitches without being asked feels like the quiet answer to the judgment you chose to withhold. Thank you for showing how patience, return, and one generous interpretation can leave room for another person’s story to emerge.
Thank you, Rev. Kevin, for noticing his entire arc. We have a small retail business ourselves, so I understood the weight of his time and financial constraints. We live this reality every day. Sometimes people genuinely forget or make a mistake. But for a seller, craftsman, or service provider, those delays often mean carrying the loss.
I don’t know how you do it. Always bringing me into the story like a bystander watching the whole exchange. I am glad you went back and had that moment which allowed you to hold space in your mind for another.
Thank you so much, Ann ❤️ I feel so happy to read that you enter my stories❤️❤️. Yes, I was also thinking how we often come across several such strangers in our daily life. And we form opinions in a 5 minute encounter. But they have a whole life story attached to them, which we may never know.
Thank you so much, Smita❤️. Yes he gestured to me to look around him. And his whole space was crowded with stuff. Old stuff that people may never take back, which he had once hopefully repaired, bevause to him it was his bread and butter.
Smita, I wonder if some of them simply kept thinking, "We'll collect it later," until later became weeks or months. They probably attached value to the object they left for repair, but perhaps never stopped to think that, for him, every uncollected bag or pair of shoes represented hours of his work and his livelihood.
The detail about the cobbler's pose predating the yoga butterfly pose is such a fascinating observation, and the way the old market has changed around him while he stays in that same corner really paints a vivid picture. Beautifully written
Sheeba, the heavy rain clouds breaking open got compared to mangoes tumbling down from a saree is such a gorgeous mental image and it wrapped up the changing mood of the whole trip perfectly.. 🥹🫶🏻
It really stood out to me..you can always feel it as a reader when a writer pours extra love into a specific part of a story. It was beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your gift with us..🫶🏻😍
First off, loved the story. The cobbler is such an interesting character and I bet he's got a ton of stories.
A bit of a tangent here. I had a pair of dress shoes that I had worn for quite some time. The soles had almost completely worn out, but the rest of the shoes were in perfectly good condition. So I went to get a quote to get them resoled. $80 minimum! Needless to say, I just bought a new pair of shoes. It's a bit unfortunate. At least where I live, labor is at a premium and there really aren't many options for repairing things. Also, the phrase "they don't make 'em like they used to" really applies to most things. Many products are designed to be replaced than repaired, which make them more affordable, but "crappier" for lack of a better word. I wish we could get back to better quality stuff that could be fixed.
What a wonderful read! The way you described the cheruppukuthi sitting in the butterfly pose with the anvil is just perfect. It instantly brought back so many childhood memories of seeing them at every street corner. Such a beautiful reminder of the value of repairing things instead of just throwing them away. Beautifully written!
He mended things
for people
who never came back.
She came back.
That was the whole story.
Sometimes that is
the whole story.
— AËLA
So beautifully you have summed up the story Aëla🥰. Thank you 💖
Sheeba, thank you for sharing this with us. Reflects you kindness, humility and understanding. My heart sank when i read people never came back and he mended the things. Such indifference...but your attitude shines. Much love to you ❤️
Thank you so much, Apurva🥰🥰. I plan on going back with a couple of more bags😅
hahah niceee :D he is in for a surprise
Sheeba, the moment the cobbler gestures toward the abandoned bags and footwear changes the meaning of his gruffness. His irritation begins to carry the wear of someone whose labor is repeatedly requested and then forgotten, while your return creates room for his patience, humor, and care to become visible. The second wedge he stitches without being asked feels like the quiet answer to the judgment you chose to withhold. Thank you for showing how patience, return, and one generous interpretation can leave room for another person’s story to emerge.
Thank you, Rev. Kevin, for noticing his entire arc. We have a small retail business ourselves, so I understood the weight of his time and financial constraints. We live this reality every day. Sometimes people genuinely forget or make a mistake. But for a seller, craftsman, or service provider, those delays often mean carrying the loss.
I don’t know how you do it. Always bringing me into the story like a bystander watching the whole exchange. I am glad you went back and had that moment which allowed you to hold space in your mind for another.
Thank you so much, Ann ❤️ I feel so happy to read that you enter my stories❤️❤️. Yes, I was also thinking how we often come across several such strangers in our daily life. And we form opinions in a 5 minute encounter. But they have a whole life story attached to them, which we may never know.
Love it!! Very nicely written. It felt sad that people never came back but you did.
Thank you so much, Smita❤️. Yes he gestured to me to look around him. And his whole space was crowded with stuff. Old stuff that people may never take back, which he had once hopefully repaired, bevause to him it was his bread and butter.
That's really bad. How thoughtless of them to waste his time.
Smita, I wonder if some of them simply kept thinking, "We'll collect it later," until later became weeks or months. They probably attached value to the object they left for repair, but perhaps never stopped to think that, for him, every uncollected bag or pair of shoes represented hours of his work and his livelihood.
The detail about the cobbler's pose predating the yoga butterfly pose is such a fascinating observation, and the way the old market has changed around him while he stays in that same corner really paints a vivid picture. Beautifully written
Thank you so much, Isabella❤️
The funny thing is I have never seen a cobbler sitting in any other position. Even when they are not holding the anvil with their feet.
Sheeba, the heavy rain clouds breaking open got compared to mangoes tumbling down from a saree is such a gorgeous mental image and it wrapped up the changing mood of the whole trip perfectly.. 🥹🫶🏻
Thank yoi so much, Priyanshu❤️🫶 That was one of my most favourite part as I wrote that story. Thank you for picking that❤️❤️
It really stood out to me..you can always feel it as a reader when a writer pours extra love into a specific part of a story. It was beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your gift with us..🫶🏻😍
Really grateful, Priyanshu 🙏❤️
First off, loved the story. The cobbler is such an interesting character and I bet he's got a ton of stories.
A bit of a tangent here. I had a pair of dress shoes that I had worn for quite some time. The soles had almost completely worn out, but the rest of the shoes were in perfectly good condition. So I went to get a quote to get them resoled. $80 minimum! Needless to say, I just bought a new pair of shoes. It's a bit unfortunate. At least where I live, labor is at a premium and there really aren't many options for repairing things. Also, the phrase "they don't make 'em like they used to" really applies to most things. Many products are designed to be replaced than repaired, which make them more affordable, but "crappier" for lack of a better word. I wish we could get back to better quality stuff that could be fixed.
What a wonderful read! The way you described the cheruppukuthi sitting in the butterfly pose with the anvil is just perfect. It instantly brought back so many childhood memories of seeing them at every street corner. Such a beautiful reminder of the value of repairing things instead of just throwing them away. Beautifully written!