We really only pay attention to the very clever man who can fix our phone when its broken right?
He can bring our smartphones back to life with skills we only dreamed of, in an hour..a lifesaver in this day and age. You smash your phone and he saves your life (or at last that is how it feels) Then you move on, forget about the great deed he did for you. Do you ever see him, other than when you need him?
Is that how we are with the people in our life? Love them 100% when we need them and forget about them till then? Do we see the people around us only when it suits our desire or do we recognise their own need to be seen?
Sat in the blaring sun today, surrounded by his tools and knowledge, I met Claudio. Listening to the cool tunes on his playlist, a solitary figure in the lonely depths of a shopping plaza.
A sensitive soul with the heart of an entrepreneur but with a desire purely for a happy family life…he made me want to visit Dominican Republic.
Name: Claudio
Occupation: Proprietor Pro Wireless Repair
1.Where were you born and raised?
Dominican Republic
Claudio has been living in the US for 3 years. ‘People are very energetic and fun on the Island, every day is a party but they still have time to work and do what they need to do.’
2. Tell me a childhood memory.
‘My Grandfather, my Grandfather was the one that raised me. He was the male figure for me, he was there 24/7. He passed away a few years ago, I still remember him everyday. Everything I do, I think of him, the way I act, how I talk to people and approach them. Everything I do I think of him’
‘His name was Albert, He was a General in the Airforce, a Pilot, he died of a heart attack.’
‘My birthday is Feb 8th, his Feb 9th, so we used to do it together, we did it together from the moment I was born, we used to do a big party for the both of us.’
3. What is your favourite season & why?
‘Summer, the children are off from school so usually family get together, it’s all about the family and the amazing weather.’
4. Tell me about someone you love?
‘My wife, Maria, she is a very sweet girl. She is very smart, a dentist, a dental surgeon. She has a lot of energy, its amazing how much energy. We met when I was working in a telephone store in New York, I kept her number, pretending it was for customer service, then I admitted I just waned to meet up with her.’
They have been married for less than a year.
5. What words of wisdom do you have for the reader about life?
‘Enjoy your life, every second. Because you don’t know when that second is going to end.’
6. Dreams for the future.
‘Pretty much to be happy, enjoy my life and when the time comes have kids and be happy. I don’t care about how much money I can have, happiness is the most important thing.’
Claudio wondered how I did this every day. Not the logistics, although that and being an ‘Uber’ Mum is quite difficult thing for me. It’s the stories, especially the sad ones. How do I listen without being effected? I don’t, I cry too..everytime..I feel the pain, it often reflects feelings of my own. I want to hold these people I have just met and make them feel better..take away their anguish.
The one thing that has scared me or made me fearlful is the loss, I’m fearful as right now I am pretty contented and scared and worry about something coming along to upset that. I have a beautiful family that are so precious to me..for anything to take that away or break it…I don’t want to think about it.
This journey is amazing, the human race is amazing. Who needs TV and celebrities when are streets are filled with colourful, beautiful people?
Who will tomorrow bring, I can’t way to find out?
