One afternoon, I had gone for a walk by the Gate Way of India. I bought hot, steaming and fragrant masala chai from a hawker and began strolling along, savouring the jam-packed and yet strangely serene surroundings and the heavenly chai. My joyful reverie was shaken by a bump. One of my fellow strollers banged against me, causing my nice hot chai to spill, burn my hand and spoil my nice attire. In an instant, the adjective for the chai changed from steaming and fragrant to scalding and dirty. The surroundings suddenly morphed themselves into ‘a throng or a swarm of dirty mindless people’!
Cursing the day, my luck, the crowd, the tea and every other external factor, I quickly walked over to the bus stand, boarded the bus, grabbed the window seat and sat down, feeling miserable. Then I suddenly remembered the famous message about how ‘one only spills what one has in one’s cup’!
Yes, I spilt hot scalding tea on myself when the man bumped against me! But I did so, because, I was carrying scalding hot tea in a tiny and flimsy disposable glass and was walking carelessly. I was carrying the tea, because, I wanted to savour it, in leisure and the savouring was important for me; if so, I should have given it the due value and carried it in a more fortified manner, carefully, in a stronger or if need be a closed container. I should have been more aware of the surroundings and agile enough to avoid getting brushed or banged against. I also should have been dextrous enough to hold on to my cup, despite getting rattled. If I could do none of those, I should have opted to go to a remote corner, devoid of humans; alternatively, I could have given up on my liking for tea and opted for lukewarm water, instead.
The day taught me four major lessons
1. If we value something, we must take necessary steps to keep it safe – Protect your precious ones and their interests and fortify your ranks.
2. We cannot choose life’s situations; but we can be agile enough to handle them – Stay physically and mentally dextrous to face any kind of situation that life throws at you.
3. We only spill what we carry – so we should be careful of what we carry with us. An expensive lifestyle can become a liability when things go bad – So travel light and keep your arms free.
4. No point crying over spilt milk or losing our cool over such tiny hiccups in life – Learn to take things in your stride and move on
I plan to savour those lessons and apply them, effectively. What about you?
