At the Migrant Workers' Festival today, there was an area set up for traditional Korean handicrafts, and I was mesmerized by one old man who was making straw sandals. I have a fairly vivid imagination, and I always enjoy looking at the hands and faces of old people, especially country people, and trying to imagine the experiences they must have had - the houses they have built; the fields they have tilled; the lives they have touched.This old man would take several strands of wet straw and quickly twirl them into strands that he then used to weave the sandals. He must have done this same movement over and over a million times. He has probably sat patiently making sandals like this every winter for more than 60 years.
His hands are worn and cracked. His nails broken. This is a man who does things and makes things with his hands.
Who's little soft hand is that? Is that a scar from a paper cut? Are those fingertips calloused from typing?
3 comments:
I also like looking at the faces of the old country people who sell their wares in the outdoor food markets. Fascinating post, and a nice hand at the end!
With plastic surgery and skin care products, our faces no longer have the character that they used to have. We don't even want our faces to reflect our experience. In some ways, it is unfortunate. The smooth expressionless face is now the desired one.
The Migrant Workers' Festival seems interesting. A nice way to spend the day.
Yes, the sandal maker's hands have character. So does the hand at the end--it has the imprint of long hours of thought. And, yes, service of a different sort. In the classroom, we do, I would like to believe, make a difference.
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