Cartoon 6: Amazing Things in Mexico Part Three

As I was drawing these, I worried a bit that folks would see them and feel sadness or pity for the people pictured.  After getting over the first moment of shock at seeing a blind man sing for pesos as he navigates a moving metro car, a man with no legs begging as he rolls himself across the floor, and a woman nursing her baby as she calls out over and over the prices of the sweets that she sells, I was filled with deep inspiration.  It seemed like this is just these peoples' reality and they are just living it, no complaints, just determination.  Of course I have no way of knowing how they understand their challenges but I was left in total amazement at their resilience.


Picture one... You guys might remember this character from the previous cartoon 'The Metro Whoa!' I often see blind people out and about in the city, they seem to move around relatively independently. Everybody kind of pitches in to help to let them know what metro stop they are at or to warn them of any looming puddles (there are many of those since its now rainy season here).  They navigate the streets and metros with amazing confidence (as mentioned in Part One of this series, not the easiest thing to do :P).  Maybe as an act of solidarity, I like to close my eyes amongst all of the chaos here and try to feel my surroundings with my other senses. Sometimes my friends and I guide each other around the city for hours with our eyes closed, I haven't decided if the experience is more or less intense without the visual input... 


Picture two... The look on this man's face was one of absolute determination, he was not looking for pity.  Just a common understanding of his circumstances; he seemed to have an attitude of 'If you can give great if not okay, I'm gonna keep going'... I think if I had the chance to look at him straight into his eyes I could have absorbed chapters of wisdom on the subject of self worth.    

Picture three...  Like I mentioned before folks are out in the streets selling everything from joke books to these super yummy colorful rice snacks.  From what I have learned, the underemployment rate here is 25% and the minimum wage is 5 pesos per hour (~50¢)...  So people get amazingly creative.   This woman in particular touched me because somehow she was able to soothe her child into resting peacefully and while at the same time commanding the attention of passersby with her booming voice. 

So I hope to share this feeling of inspiration with each of you to carry you through the rest of your week, your month, your life... I would be happy with your next couple of breathes though :)

PS Sorry this image is a little small, I have messing with the for days tryin to get it to grow and it just don want to.  I decided to just go ahead and share it cuz I already have so many other things to tell you guys about and my hand is itchin to draw!

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