Four years ago, while on assignment in Ghana, I met this ebullient kiosk owner in Accra, the west Africa nation’s capital. She sold locally made jewelry, clothing and other souvenirs. I was not her ideal customer. With a house filled with mementos bought during 50 years on the road, I no longer pursued keepsakes. However, James, my driver/interpreter, insisted I buy something. So, I paid $2 for a pair of beaded bracelets. The shop owner retained her cheerful manner throughout. Despite economic hardships confronting most Ghanaian families – which I saw repeatedly during my week there - I found this buoyant demeanor in many of the women I met.
A week later, while walking through Oz Park in Chicago, I bumped into a group of nannies and recognized their accents. “Ghana?” I asked. “Yes!” they said in unison, all smiling, as upbeat as the shop owner. I raised my right forearm to show them one of the bracelets I had bought. Amid the brown beads were five displaying the red, yellow and green colors of the Ghanaian flag. “I was there last week,” I said. They could not contain their glee. “Did you like it?” one of them asked. “I loved it,” I said, triggering a group applause.
I’ve worn the bracelet every day since, a reminder of a people who turn the daily grind into daily cheer no matter where they live.