Swap

I was traveling to Madurai for a conference. Our group had few adults with a lot of children. Everyone got a seat scattered in different coaches. Since we wanted all the children seated together, few adults went hunting for adjacent seats together by pleading and pleasing grown-ups.  None of them were in a mood to adjust to their nearby seats. I wondered the tolerance level of people even after explaining the situation about children. This attitude requires a serious thought provoking for all of us. We didn't ask families to separate and sit, either we asked a couple itself to move to the next place or singletons to move. But none of them heard our voice. They wanted to sit and not willing to move as that was the seat they occupied in the first hand. You may ask, they paid money and got tickets, so it belongs to them. Of course, Yes,  I don't deny that. All we said is the same comfort can be shifted to the other seat. Not even a single leg could move and offer a seat for the children. 

I am writing this because I am the victim of this incident.  When I get denied something which I strongly crave for any human being will be disappointed. That's the normal human psychology. We are also travelers in many occasions in trains. Imagine how would you react when someone asks for a seat-swap? Do you get angry or will you be considerate enough to consider the situation? The reply is totally ours and we are the ones to choose the best. Also, we can't-do that for each and every individual. It depends on the situation and the necessity. I am talking only during the times of necessity. A little bit of flexibility and tolerance level for the fellow travelers can help them and in turn that can mold us into better individuals for ourselves. Indeed these tiny qualities in life can help us sort many problems in the family. If there is a tiff between husband and wife it always matters to who makes it up first and rush towards harmony. This quality brings a better relationship in lending a helping hand to a friend who is struggling to find that one last code to finish the project. This little tolerance level can help a mother wait patiently until the tantrums from the child get over. 

So a seat swap for someone is not just a swap but it defines you, your character, your patience, your tolerance level with all the fellow passengers of this world. To co-exist in this planet with everyone, it is great to be a flexible passenger thereby bringing peace and harmony to the society and the world. 

Who are you?

          A few days back I received a call from my friend. I realized the call was not a casual talk like the other days. She was fuming in frustration and agony. After the cajoling and listening to all her confused talk, she felt like opening up and talking. It seems they had a wedding ceremony in the family for one of the close cousins. It was the time of excitement and joy for the whole family and my friend was also looking forward to the same. As like any other family, the relatives gathered well in advance to celebrate the occasion. Since everyone cannot stay in one house all of them spread evenly in many houses and one of them was my friend’s house. 
      
           The joy, excitement and the celebration were in peak as the D-day arrived. The wedding ceremony went well. Everyone enjoyed the festivities and the spirit of the occasion. All the proceedings related to the event were coming close in the next day. Each and every family member was heading towards their hometown. People were coming back to the routine life. My friend was working in a corporate sector and she had to head back to the office.  However, there was this particular gentleman who did not move out from her house.

            He said to my friend that he has a pending activity in the town. Once it is over he will be going back to his home. My friend agreed to the same. So every day she has to make some extra effort to make a little special breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the guest. This was going for another few days. She thought he will head back after the work. All of his work was done and he was not in a mood to go back. He did not plan his journey to his home.

            He was staying in the house as like his own house. He occupied the best room in the house, ate good food and he didn’t even think getting something for the children. This really frustrated and annoyed her to the core as she was working and managing the entire house. Hence the reason she called me to vent out her frustration. 

Sometimes in life, we don’t even realize our deadlines. It is amazing to have great relationships. But that should not go overboard in any place. The more we intrude in others privacy we end up in others mode of mental agony and hatred. Wherever we go and stay however close the relationship is the best time period is for few days. We should not leave from any place having a cluster of ice in the host’s mind and heart. A relationship is a continuous process, never make it short by our negligence to adhere to the norms of life. We need to have adorable relationships with everyone, however, there is a boundary for everything. Make sure that we stay within the circle of good terms. Never be the subject of talking behind your back. 

Change Maker

I was not at home during the last weekend. Both the days we went out for different sessions as a family. My mother and I talk during the weekday evenings. Since there was a delay in my regular calls, she tried to call me in one of the weekends. That was the weekend we were out all day. She tried calling me multiple times and did not succeed. My mobile was out of charge for long hours. After few attempts of failure, she got panicked. She called my sister to know my whereabouts. Since I had informed her about my sessions, she was able to update my mother on my status. Eventually, my mother was relieved from the thought clutches.You may be thinking on why I am stating this incident now. Is it necessary to make our parents aware of our schedule every day?  Do they need to press the panic button because we are not accessible through the phone? No, not necessary. But how can you avoid this situation? Since my regular calls took a break for two days, my mother couldn't understand the scenario.  If I would have been connecting her regularly in the previous days, she will not be panic for my absence. 

Recently a friend forwarded me a WhatsApp message. I wasn't able to read through the end. It seems a mother was left alone in a house while her children were at abroad earning their living. The hectic schedule of the children kept them away reaching their mother for months, not days. They didn't know the status of the mother for a very long time. Since the neighbors couldn't see the old lady for a very long time, they complained to the police. When the police came and opened the door, there was the real shocker of life. They can see the remains of the old lady in the sofa. She had died a long time ago with no one nearby her. 

I just wondered, are we running behind only the materialistic realms of life? Is human life least important for all? I understand everyone has a busy life these days. There is no question about it. In the busy schedule, how are we sequencing our priorities? We as parents do as much as we can to our children for their best livelihood in future. Are we teaching them the importance of human relationships from a young age? The children who know the value of life will eventually take care of their parents. It is their moral responsibility. We may think we shouldn't burden our children with the sense of responsibility. We should be healthy enough to take care of ourselves. 

Even though I agree for that, relationships and the life values play a great role in the lives of children. If they are sensitive towards their parents they will be sensitive towards other human beings too. Take a minute to realize and understand, how are we grooming our children to know the essentials of future. If you are doing the right steps as a parent, give a pat to yourself and if there is any correction to be done, take charge and be the change maker.

Make a Difference (MAD)

  Around 4 PM, I received a call from my husband. He conveyed that I should be ready for the annual health check-up the next day. I wasn't in a great mood to go as going to the hospital is not a pleasant experience for me. The staunch odor of medicines and the lotions make you feel nauseating sometimes. Since it's the annual health check up there is no way of escape mechanism from my husband. 

The next day morning I got readied myself and was on time to get inside the car. My husband was surprised. He recalled and said, "I hope you know the destination". I smiled and said yes. We arrived the Fortis hospital on time and were waiting for our turn to be called. The first was the blood check up and the one I hate the most always. How much ever I tell the lab assistant to prick slowly he takes great care to use the needle in the hardest way. Somehow I completed the process. The whole day until the afternoon we were there in the hospital. 

We were back home after all the procedures. They called and asked us to come back in another two days to get the results. During the previous health checkups, I used to be worried about the results. This time I had no qualms. 

As suggested, we went back to the hospital after 2 days and the doctor with gobbled eyes said that my hemoglobin level is very low and I had to intake a lot of iron-rich content. I usually hear this a lot from the doctor during every visit. So, I didn't bother much to listen to her words. 

After coming back home, I showed the report to my husband. He saw the level was really low from the normal level. We discussed certain ways of improving the same by in taking iron-rich natural sources like dried black grapes, spinach, dates and so on. During the course of our discussion, I was telling him that my co-sister suggested drinking boiled water of hibiscus every day. I told him that getting a hibiscus flower is a challenging task. I don't think I can find one every day. 

We finished the discussion and we moved to each other's work spaces. The next day morning, I could see a hibiscus flower on the dining table. I wondered where is this coming from. Then I realized my husband has plucked it fresh from the plant outside the apartment. I had goosebumps seeing the red flower. From that day onwards, I am seeing a hibiscus flower every day in the table. I boil the same and drink the water. I am truly mesmerized by the thoughtful reminder of my husband. Every day is a busy day. We can say hundred different excuses to say that we forget to take care of the small little things of our loved ones. A small initiative at the right time can bring a lot more benefits in relationships. It is the way we care each other make a lot of difference in the way we see the world and our life. Are we ready to say an excuse and escape from the situation or let loose ourselves in a relationship? The choice is ours. Make a difference in your life by creating extraordinary relationships.