Let Me Do My Little

Like a little girl, I was jumping with joy and bubbling with enthusiasm, when I set out to visit my parents, alongwith my husband. We held a bag each and entered into the AC compartment. Behind me, entered a thin man with a lot of luggage. I held the door open to enable him to get in. He pushed his luggage and rather rudely told me to hold it open because he was getting some more luggage. He didn't even have the courtesy to thank me as he pushed himself in with all the luggage. My loving and over-protective husband already started getting wild with me for the moral science lessons I was practising. In a hushed voice, I said, "It's okay.......let me do my little...... " After occupying our seats he started his lecture, in our mother- tongue and I gestured to him to keep quiet because these days people understand most languages.

After a little while, a mother who was taking her pregnant daughter for delivery requested me to exchange my lower berth for her upper berth. Before, my husband could intervene I readily agreed on humanitarian grounds. But, to our utter shock and surprise, just before bedtime when we came from the toilet, our jaws fell when we saw the lady occupy the lower berth and the daughter sleeping in the middle one. I quickly sprang to the upper berth to avoid my husband's snarls.

When I got down at the station, my brother startled me, by giving me a huge hug from behind. I was elated to meet him because it was over a year, that we hadn't met. Since my brother and better half both worked for SBI, they walked off briskly talking about their organisation, as if the nation's apex Bank rested on their shoulders. While I was following them, I found an old lady walking slowly unable to carry her luggage. Since, all had to go out of the same exit, I offered to help. When we reached at the exit my brother and husband who were already seated in the car looked at me questioningly. Before I could clear my throat and speak up, the old lady asked my brother, "Could you drop me home........I don't know why my son didn't turn up to receive me.?"

My parents, sister-in-law, nephew and niece were eagerly waiting, for us at home. As always my dad's first question, "Was the train on time?" The two men, in one voice stormed in and related all that had happened. My sister-in-law, supporting me said, "It's okay.....we must do our little...."

A week's vacation quickly came to an end. With a heavy heart I had to bid goodbye to my loved ones. We hadn't reached even half way to the station, when my brother's car broke down. It started raining too. Time was running. We got down, my brother gestured to a car which was coming from behind to stop. Two young boys got down from the cab. When my brother put up the predicament, they gladly offered to help since they were heading towards the station too. 

In a hurry to get into the cab, I slipped and fell down. By the time we reached the station, my toe had swollen and I found it difficult to walk. The boys helped my husband with our luggage which had increased due to my shopping. Coincidentally, they boarded the same compartment. They voluntarily exchanged my upper berth for their lower one. My husband and I thanked them profusely when we parted ways the next morning.

Life is like a sea, we are moving without an end. Nothing stays with us, what remains is ............just memories of some people who touch us as waves. This is life. It is a two way traffic. I wouldn't say that someone came to my rescue just because I had lent a helping hand. Mine was a coincidence of events. But in real life, we need to give......to help....... without expecting anything. Such incidents are common phenomena. We often help and are sometimes at the non-receiving end, but it's okay......let us do our little. I am sure, when we are in trouble, someone, somewhere will definitely help us. This is the law of life. We are the only species endowed with the faculty of thinking. Let us prove our mettle. Let's not say "WHY ME?" Let's say, "WHY NOT ME!!"

GRATITUDE --- turns what we have into enough and more, it turns denial into acceptance, chaos into clarity, it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.