I had an encounter with two boys at the Habitat build site. They were about 5 years old and had been playing in the street all morning long. What caught my eye was the condition of the play toy the excited boys had been occupied with. It was a toddler size, sun faded, red, plastic toy truck that allowed its prized owners to ride around and steer their way through the crowded streets of children. Now this situation sounds quite normal for a group of boys this age, but the difference is in this township of Mfuleni the toy truck was broken. The front wheel had popped off and was being held on by a small yellow lego piece. The boys would only get so far down the road before the lego would pop off under their weight and send them laughing to the ground. This toy in the states would have been thrown away as soon as the unfixable damage occurred. In fact many parents might have replaced the toy for their child by a newer model or the latest popular item. For these township children though this toy was all that they had to play with.
I watched the boys for a few moments before venturing off the build site to join in. They would start at the dead end of the street and push each other towards the main road. When I was allowed to play I ran for it full speed and came to a quick disappointment when the boy made it only half way down the street before tumbling over. I guess I used too much force and the boys began laughing so hard. We repeated this process a few times, each with the same bursts of laughter. I was given lessons but was still quite unsuccessful.
A broken toy was providing them with more joy than many of the toy filled rooms for most American children. The boys had to find the small piece on the dirty road each time it fell off before returning to their game. This effort alone is not viewed as entertaining and would be a waste of time in our fast paced society. I learned several things from those small boys. I have many possessions and I constantly get new things. I throw other “old” possessions away long before they are worn out. I never would have kept that toy with its wheel and axial broken, sun bleached plastic, and cracked seat. It would have been disposed of. Happiness is not found in the number of things you have, the newest ipod, or coolest car model. Joy is found in the experience, relationships, and thank-fullness felt in the heart. A simple toy, broken and disposable taught me how complicated I made the easiest ways to find joy.
