exhilarating and invigorating morning walk

On my way back from the morning walk, a woman said something. I did not follow what she said, I stopped and said "enna?" or "what?" for which she asked my help to lift something.
That something was a huge V-shaped steel vessel full of cow-dung. I silently obliged. She even asked me to set it straight on her head. I did. Then on reflex checked my hands (of course only after I moved away from her) and much to my displeasure found just a bit of dung on my fingers.
And the remaining part of the walk I treated my hands as the condemned parts of my body- keeping them at a safe distance away from my body.
Went straight to the wash in the backyard (did not even want to enter the house), washed my hands well, took a fragrant liquid soap, washed it further still and only then rested.
Even after that I wld check my hands for foul smell every now and then, for the next hour or so.

After this whole exercise, certain thoughts started erupting in my mind.

Which part of the body wld that woman treat as the condemned part?
In all probability she wld have to collect cow-dung from upon the roads on a daily basis, ( since sophistication is not part of the game--naturally with her bare hands) shape it into a flat thin cake and dry it on a wall as in the picture above.
She wld use some of the dried cakes as cooking fuel, and sell the remaining for a meagre profit;
as the dried cakes are used for doing 'Poojas,' or 'holy religious ceremonies' and in lighting funeral pyre e.t.c.
What of those involved in cleaning/clearing drainage/garbage??

It is humbling to imagine that it is routine work for them and perhaps even their only source of livelihood.
I felt disgusted at my peevishness. It also greatly disturbed me that we don't take much note of these things in everyday life and remain unaware of the graces and blessings we have.
We look at people who r better placed than us and feel jealous.

How many times have we looked at people, lower than us and thanked God for whatever we have or whatever we are?