Nico Bolzico, celebrity businessman and husband to Solenn Heussaff, recently switched up his Instagram game. Probably best known for posting relationship advice on social media, Bolzico took a break from that to tell the story of a local taho vendor he often sees in the mornings.
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He shared on his Instagram:
Meet Henry Leonardo, 39 years old, he wakes up every day at 4 am, commutes 2 hours and arrives in our village by 6 am. He walks with his Tajo equipment all over the village for 6 hours, he does this to provide for his wife and 2 kids since 1998. Every time I run in the village, or walk #Pochola, I see him, and every time I see him, he always gives me a massive smile and a happy good morning, he also greets Pochi if she is with me!
This is one of many stories of Filipinos that are fighting every day, doing long commutes and sacrificing a lot of time with their families to be able to provide or fulfill their dreams, and they all have a common factor: they all smile.
I have been in the country for 8 years already and I can tell that the smile is the strongest Filipino weapon, it is something that never stops to amaze me, how most of the Filipinos irradiate happiness not matter what!
We are always looking for people to motivate us, inspire us, we are always looking up to idols; in my view, life is about discipline, hard work, perseverance, honesty and love; and we can find that in most of the people around us, Henry is just one example of all that, but there are many. I encourage you to just look around, be aware of that and return that smile, maybe you are one of these examples! If that is the case, this post is to encourage and celebrate you!
The capability to smile no matter the circumstances is what makes this country invincible. There is only one idol in this picture, and it is definitely not me.
(WATCH: Nico Bolzico Shares Video of His Proposal to Solenn Heussaff for their Third Anniversary)
While it is important to celebrate the discipline and hard work of the everyday-Filipino, it is equally important to work towards improvements which make this reality a much less harsh one. Hopefully, we can go beyond just commending people for their perseverance and start thinking of ways to make that perseverance worth it.
Do you have inspiring stories like this of your own? Share them with us in the comments!Â
