Microstory #7: What choice do you have?
It was a Saturday afternoon, the only time I am guaranteed to be at home. While I am busy on weekdays traveling, my family is busy on weekends. The kids have their dance classes and tuitions and wife and I are busy driving them around. So I look forward and try to savour opportunities with them. One afternoon my younger daughter after her morning dance class was not seen till 2PM. Usually, she is back and at least as a family, we try to either have a standing, running or talking lunch. She called me around 2.30 PM and asked me “Should I come home?” My immediate terse response over the phone to an 8-year-old was ” What choice do you have”? She took a moment and said, ” Ok… I will come”.
Microstory #8: The complaint is a gift
When I heard that there was some mail chain going around with someone complaining about me, I was curious. I called the person and checked how do we fix the problem and move forward. Initially, he was taken aback as I got to know about the mail chain which was going behind my back. He said, “Don’t feel bad that such a thing happened”. My immediate response was, a complaint is a gift and lets move forward and fix the problem.
Microstory #9: Hello Neighbour
It all started with us running out of gas. Our gas cylinder was empty and we realised we had forgotten to book our backup. So we turned to our next-door neighbour. Quickly our immediate neighbor offered their existing one as they noticed that they also forgot to book their backup cylinder! An hour later I had to give that cylinder back. This time it was time to tap our next neighbor. I had hardly spoken to him, the only saving grace was that our daughters were friends. He also offered to help us by offering their back-up cylinder and also helped me fix the toll-no with the English language. I was very happy that I spoke to him finally! Next day we noticed that all of us got the cylinders delivered at the same time and it was chaos as we tried to figure out which empty cylinder to give back. It took an empty cylinder to trigger neighborhood and a sense of belonging.
Microstory #10: Accept your mistake really fast?
On Independence Day, we are all in a state of jingoistic mood. I was all pumped up and was in the lift. As soon as I entered the lift I saw a mom with three kids. In a moment I asked,’ where are you going with your army?” She repeated “army” in a low voice. I immediately regretted my words. She eased herself into the next topic and mentioned that we are taking them to see the craft exhibition. Though I didn’t have the courage to tell her but in my mind, I accepted my mistake really fast. Make your words count.
Microstory #11: “Acuity” is the word
I get an opportunity to be with teenagers every Sunday on a public speaking forum. I was amazed by a teenager using the word “acuity.” I jotted it down and started picturing where I can use this word. I had read about “mental acuity”. It was time for me to evaluate the session and on top of my mind was to share this newfound word I got in that session. I shared the word and it was nice when other students during the summary said in the first instance that that is the word they liked the most. It was very profound. Everyone is superior to you in some way, this mentality is the path for personal development and self-mastery.
Microstory #12: Fire and Ice
I was in Chennai for a couple of days and had the opportunity to have a good time with with my college friends.I happened to see this photo in a local newspaper and I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
Recently on WhatsApp, I got a picture on what amazon fire. One on hand we have a water shortage and another end we have nature’s fury with fire.
I was reminded of Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice”:
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
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