Pedro is a ladies man. At thirty-five, he has those handsome Portuguese good looks, and is soft spoken. It’s no wonder he’s always got a girl on his arm. We met briefly a month ago while he was staying at our guest house in Chiang Mai, Thailand. At that time he was making his way south to the islands, and when I saw him leave, he was again with a lady.

Yesterday upon returning to our guest house, I was surprised to see Pedro laying by the pool, especially because the weather in northern Thailand has turned cool with gray skies. It‘s not exactly sunning weather, if you know what I mean. Going up to him I reintroduced myself and asked if he had checked out our website. “Not yet” he remarked, telling me that he had left his laptop up here so he was incommunicado for the last few weeks. Mentioning that the sun was hardly breaking through the thick cloud layer, I checked to see if he was cold. “Cold? Portugal is cold now - this is nice.” We joked a bit about some friends, and then I excused myself to take care of my business.

The next morning after checking our email at a local internet shop, I returned to the guest house. Pedro is patiently sitting right outside the office. Acknowledging him I ask what he is doing. “Waiting for the internet shop to open,” he says. I know from experience that the

MY FRIEND PEDRO

As we are walking through the small alleys, I tell him that I admire his courage to be traveling on his own in Asia. He seemed surprised and remarked “aw, this is nothing, but why do you say it’s courageous?” I tell him because of his ability to overcome his obstacles, and all with a terrific attitude.

It’s Christmas Eve here, and as we continue to make our way in our travels, I am reminded of the blessed life I have and continue to live. We arrive at the shop I help Pedro get settled in and he sets up his laptop needing little assistance. With his earpiece in place, he’s ready to check his email and surf the net.

What inspires me about Pedro is that he is blind.

Later that day I ask him how it is that he always has a beautiful lady by his side. Smiling he confides, “It’s my walking cane. It’s a great stick, isn’t it?”

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