'They are my everything' - those were the words said by a homeless man, the words that touched me deep inside.

Every day on my way to the office I see many beggars. Some of them sit quietly, others try to catch people's attention. Most passers-by are trying not to notice them, and I have to admit that I am no different.

But one day I saw a man sitting on the pavement, drinking coffee from a paper cup. I noticed him not because of his coffee, but because of his cat: a big black cat wearing a collar. Looking at the cat you'd never have known it was owned by a homeless person. It was a big, clean and beautiful cat, a capital C kind of a Cat.

So I stopped and walked up to the man. I gave him a Euro coin and we talked for a couple of minutes - he told me that his name was Matthias, he was German, but had lived in Spain for the last three years. Only at that moment did I notice a dog lying in the shade behind the man. I asked where he had found his pets. It turned out that two years ago Matthias heard a small kitten crying at the bottom of a trash container. Naturally, Matthias took it. And 6 months later he found the dog.

I used to see Matthias a couple of times a week, and almost every time I'd stop and talk to him. Two weeks ago he told me that he was going to Northern Spain as it was not so hot. On his last day, we spoke as usual, and I gave him some money and said 'Take care of your cat and dog'. And he replied 'Of course. They are my everything'. And these words made me think.

Most of us have much more than this man. We have families, friends, homes, jobs, new fancy gadgets. And we think it's not enough. I may be wrong, but I think that for Matthias his dog and cat are enough. He is quite happy. And I am sure there is something for us to learn here.