One Sock

Andrew Matthews tells this touching and inspiring story:

On a bicycle ride around the world, my friend Aden stopped awhile in a West African village to help build a bakery. Aden said:

It took us several months to build the bakery. We made the bricks from crushed anthills. Every day the village children came to help. None of the kids had shoes but one happy little guy always wore one sock – no shoes, just a sock. He was about 10 years old. I called him One Sock.

Eventually my curiosity got the better of me. I said, “One Sock, tell me about this sock you always wear.”

He said proudly, “My Mum washes it every night. I wear it every day.”

I said, “Yes, but why do you wear one?”

He seemed surprised by my silly question, and then he smiled broadly and said, “Because I only have one!”

Happiness comes from focusing on what you have, not on what’s missing.