Person of the Day: Street Sweeper

Now that the autumn leaves in Seoul are falling, somebody has to help clear the sidewalks of these leaves.

And here in my neighborhood, the gingko trees along our main road are shedding their yellow leaves, turning the sidewalks into a yellow carpet that needed sweeping, not vacuuming.

So, who will sweep all these leaves? Well, as I was walking through the neighborhood one morning, I spotted a hardworking ajumma, dutifully clearing the sidewalk of the gingko leaves one stroke of her broom at a time. 

Perhaps, on all the other sidewalks in Seoul, countless hardworking sweepers out there are also busy cleaning up the autumn mess these trees are leaving behind as they all prepare for their winter hibernation. 

As I pay tribute to her and to her co-workers, she is my person of the day.