I’m pretty sure you’ve encountered old people playing some music in exchange of some spare money or coins. But have you ever stopped to interact with them, to ask what happened and why they ended up in the streets, and to help them even with just a little bit of what you have?
Well, here’s a story of a guy who reached out to a homeless Lolo. The said Lolo was playing his guitar when Jahri Adajar approached him. Upon talking to the lolo, he found out a bit of the lolo’s life story and how his only wish is to have a new guitar given that he’s been using his good old instrument for years now.
Being a musician himself, Jahri understood how much it would mean to the old man, and so he used all his savings and asked help from a couple of friends to buy a new guitar for the lolo.
Read the full story below.
I saw an old beggar playing the guitar last saturday. Afterwards bumaba kagad ako ng jeep kahit wala pa ko sa destination kasi damn nakita ko siyang gumagamit ng power chords! Power chords aren’t basic kaya pag nagagawa mo yon it just means you’ve worked hard practicing the guitar. I know sa age niya ang hirap na ipress ng strings but what else can he do yon nalang pinagkakakitaan niya eh. I gave him money and he just said ang “ang laki naman nito di ko matatanggap ko” sabi ko nalang maliit na bagay lng yan. I sat down with him on the streets while I borrowed his guitar and tuned it. I played afterwards hoping some kind soul would give us some money. Pagkatapos non nagdaldalan nalang kami nagkwento siya ng buhay niya.
Taga Pila siya and wala siyang kasama. Yung mga baryang nakukuha niya sa panlilimos ay pinambibili niya ng makakain pag-uwi. Hiniwalayan siya ng asawa niya at wala pati silang anak. Naglayas siya kasi hindi siya tinatrato ng tama ng kaniyang hipag. Nagtry siya magbenta ng sigarilyo sa kalsada kaso dahil matanda at mahina narin siya muntik na siyang masagasaan kaya nagsettle nalang siya sa panlilimos.
Sabi niya nalang sakin hiling niya daw makabili ng bagong gitara kahit yung mumurahin lang raw. Inisip ko naman, pano to makakaipon kung yung nakukuha lang nito sa paglimos ay sakto lang sa pagkain. Bilang manunugtog rin dama mo talaga yung bagsak ng kamay niya sa pagsstrum ng gitara eh kaya nasabi ko nalang, “geh marami ako gitara sa bahay hanapin kita ulit dito”. Sabi niya baka huling araw niya na sa los baños manlimos at dadayo na siya sa probinsya. After going home I realized damn wala na pala ko extra gitara na pwede ibigay. Kinabukasan pinagsama sama ko ang ipon ko from work and nagsolicit din naman. I bought a new guitar and I gave it to him kaso reluctant pa siya then I said ” O siya palit nalang tayo akin na yung luma mo pagagandahin ko yan”. Though sabi niya nakakahiya daw pangit na at luma, deepdown I really wanted his guitar dahil mayroon na yong sariling storya na pinagdaanan at pinaghirapan ng isang tao. Ayon nakuha ko ang gitara nagka exchange kami! :3
Hindi ko talaga ugali ang tumulong sa nanlilimos since una yung mga bata ay aasa na lamang sa paghingi ng pera eh bata pa naman sila may lakas pa sila para gawan ng paraan ang kahirapan nila. Yung ibang middle aged na pinansusugal lang naman ang naililimos bukod don pwede pa naman sila maghanap ng ibang pagkakakitaan may lakas pa naman sila. Pero yung matatanda guys ireach out natin. Hindi na sila babata pa at wala narin silang lakas magtrabaho. Yung tipong nagagawa nilang magtiis sa init at karamdaman nila na manlimos parin sa kalsada is already an effort enough to show that they need help and still want to live. Alam kong biased ako but sino pa ba ang sasalo sa matatanda kundi kabataan? Sorry guys it’s not that I’m bragging I helped someone it’s just that I felt how he works hard by watching how he stroke his guitar that there’s a story behind it. It made me realize that we the ones who are having an easier life should atleast notice someone in the shadows are very much having a difficult time. Let’s all help each other out.
Indeed, we will only understand what other people are going through once we try to open our ears and hearts to them. Hope we can also help other people in need, especially lolos and lolas out there.
Do you have similar stories to share? Tell us in the comments!
