A Tofu Grocer

By: Dede Putra Andika

This morning I woke up at 04.50 after adzansubuh was singing from the mosque
where located near from my house. I often wake up in that time, sometimes I wake up
when adzan was singing from the mosque. After adzan is done, I go to bathroom to take
wuduq and then do sholatsubuh. At 05.30 am, I go to place where I take tofu to sell. It
is not too far from my house, just spend one hourfrom my house. I use my bicycle to
anywhere, include taking the tofu. For someone ride a bicycle for one hour is too far,
but it is not for me because I do it since I was a child and now I am a father for my
children. At 06.30 am, I go around my village to sell the tofu to people in there. I have
two mothers who are my customers, they buy the tofu almost everyday from me.
Sometime I go to another village to sell the tofu if it is not sold all at all. I
prefer to have long trip to sold it all than I go to my home. I just get Rp.15.000 from
sell the tofu if it all is sold, but when the all tofu is not sold I just get Rp.5000 and
tofu from it. I never complain with that because it is not produce something that useful
for me and it cannot makeall tofu sold.
Eventhough I am poor family, I never say it to my children. It is not because I
am shy to be a poor family, but I dont want my children feel lack because of that. I
want my children feel they feel adequately with what I have and I want they are happy
with that. For me, happiness is something that cannot buy by money, but the happiness
can be create by how we act in our life whether like a people who always complain to
their life or like a people who never complain to their life and happy with what they
have, however, it is not too much money to buy something or food.
However my family is poor, I never cut my children dream. I always support
them to be what they want. I let my children to have big dream and guide them to
reach it by support and support them. Although my children cannot have something that
worth for some people, but my children have something that I can proud of. It is a
dream that will guide them to better life. They can be everything in this world with a
dream. They can be a doctor, a pilot, or a president if they have a dream and if their
parents help them to reach it by support them not be a person who cut their children
dream with regard them as poor people that impossible to have big dream. It is really
bad for their children and for their children future.
As a tofu grocer, I dont want my children be like me, I don t want my children
follow my lead to be a tofu grocer. They have to have better life than me, I want my
children be a person who be a successful person in the future, I want my children be a
person who can help their country and people around them to get better life. I want my

children can do something that worth for this country and for the citizen. I dont want
my children just keep their skill and keep it. I dont want my children be like some
person in this country who are smart but they dont do nothing for their country. They
just think about their life, they dont care to their country and let something bad
happen to their country. I hate these people and I dont want my children act like them.
Although I am just a tofu grocer who can do nothing for my country even for
myself, I have my hope in my children to bring it to reality. I am a tofu grocer, but I
have my own hope to my country. I am also not smart people who can do nothing, but I
want my generation do my hope to make my country be a great country that can serve
their citizen and make them feel adequately and comfortable with all of this country.
These my hope to my children, these my hope to my country, these my hope this
country be great country for their citizen. These are some hope form someone who not
smart, intelligence, or others. I am just a tofu grocer. I am just a tofu grocer who sell
the tofu to other people along the day.