Uncle saves money by selling trash
After I graduated from university, there were many questions popping up in my head: Where can I find a job? Which company is going to give me a good salary and benefits?
And when I finally did get a job, only more questions followed. What’s my career plan? When am I going to retire? I might be young, but it is normal for people to think that they will stop working after they turn 60. However, there are still some folks who continue working beyond that just so they have something to do – just like this uncle.
Been selling trash for over 10 years
Image credit: MGR Online
Ba Kraharn is a 70-year-old from Thailand’s Chumphon province. Uncle Ba has spent more than 10 years as a trash seller, which is a job many are guilty of looking down upon. But Uncle Ba has no regrets and continues to stay positive. “Selling trash is honest work,” he says. “I’ve never been ashamed of it. It has brought me to where I am today.”
He used to work as a construction worker, but left the job as he got older. He didn’t want to stay at home or feel like a burden either, and so he worked on a farm for 5 years when he first moved to Chumphon with his wife. However, he had to quit due to health problems.
It was then he started collecting trash and selling it for a living. He earned around ฿10,000 per month from this and saved his money carefully, which has resulted in him owning a 12-acre palm plantation.
Image credit: TNEWS
“There are people interested in buying my land, but I don’t want to sell it. I want to keep it for my children,” he says.
Every career has its own purpose
Image credit: MGR Online
Uncle Ba shared his thoughts on being hardworking, which has led him to be where he is today. “If you are dedicated, honest, and value the opportunities that come to you, you can do everything in the world. Like me – I’ve never thought that trash was disgusting, because it gives me money. I don’t have to work for others. I don’t have a boss. I work happily everyday.”
No matter what others think about you or your career, go ahead with your dreams if it makes you happy. Plus, if it supports you, you should keep going on your path. Success depends on what you’ve done, not from the words of other people, and Uncle Ba is an example of defining our own versions of success.
Cover image adapted from MGR Online and TNEWS