Tag: gratitude

Paisa hi paisa

Very recently, my landlord Uncle and Aunty reduced the rent of my rented apartment.

After thanking them, I jokingly added: “I was, btw, expecting the rent to rise this year!”

“Beta actually we have let out other floors as well, and we’re charging them this lower rate only. So no point charging you a higher amount!”

I found it so cool. This new place is actually so cool bro!
Not just for the rent reduction.
Rather also because they played it honest, even though no one was seeing them.

If you really want to understand someone, see what they do when no one is watching.

PS: Other cool things they do:
1. Having a separate invertor for us tenants, whose electricity bill is attached to theirs
2. NO charges for water
3. Hiring a maid for me
4. Adding an additional (jaali waala) gate so that I can shut it and sleep in natural air.
5. Asking if I need some repairs – any time an electrician or a plumber comes.

Love love, to them! :))

Things I fail to understand


1. Why do we think we are liked if we have more unread messages when we open WhatsApp?

2. What satisfaction to softdrinks give?

3. Why do people prefer ordering out instead of home made halwa?

Our importance, satisfaction and satiety – all come from inside.

Inner validation. Water at home. Halwa at home.

If you make those choices, you are unstoppable!

Can’t talk! Just can’t!!

A startup founder reached out to me on LinkedIn, stating she was full of gratitude for what I did and how I was kind to her on her posts. She ended the DM requesting me to get on a call.

Bro, I am someone who has her phone notifications off since eternity, has never changed her phone ringtone since 2015 (when I first got my smartphone) and I am about to tell my boss that I will take only 2 interviews per day, because if I speak more than that, I will not feel energetic 🙂

So I responded to her, requesting to “strike the conversation” in the DMs itself, and told her the truth.

No response as yet. Anyway, the joy of saying no which you don’t want to do, is always unparallel! :))

Stories on the street

Each morning as I walk or drive for around ten minutes to go to my meditation class, there are countless stories to witness on the street.

Here’s the two I witnessed today:

  1. A man was standing with his cart containing buckets of pickles. That is what he would be selling whole day, to make a living. Here he was, standing in a corner, serving pickle in a small bag. He then called out to the trash collector to come, so he could have his breakfast.
    Such beautiful thing. Most of us don’t do philanthropy because we feel we ourselves don’t have enough. But it is only in giving, that we receive the most. You do not have to empty your bank accounts. A small act of care each day, is more than enough. If someone who makes his living selling pickles can do it, what excuse do you and I have?
  2. Another woman was brooming the road, with the broom taylor made for thick surfaces. It is unlike the one that we use in our homes. It’s streaks are thicker, which makes it easier to remove dust from there.
    As this woman was brooming the road, I noticed a strange thing: that I could not observe dust on the road. Yet, as she broomed, the dust became prominent in every movement.
    That was a beautiful lesson: around how the deepest things are not visible. It is only through tough scratching that they surface. So are the things in our lives. Our deepest pains are buried behind us cracking jokes, being on time, being addicted to work, etc. Only when a deeper pain comes that it brings all that is within – to the forefront.
    A wonderful reminder of how we pain brings the best in us.

That said, there is a third story as well – story of you and I – walking on the roads, streets, malls, etc.
We get the stories that we see. And we become them.

The question is: What do we see?

Wow! Just wow!!!

Last Friday, a founder and CEO of one of the groundbreaking startups in India approached me on LinkedIn. He wanted to speak to me for writing content for them.

When I responded to their DM to know more about the work, his first response was: “Thanks for the response,” and then we talked further.

Who does that in a mean world? Such a kind soul! He could write a social media post and get 100’s of writers in less than an hour, and still responding me with kindness? Wow!

So we spoke further and scheduled a meeting three days hence.

Almost two-and-a-half hours prior to the meeting, he sent me an email informing the meeting had to be inadvertently cancelled due to a family emergency. Not only that, he ensured to DM me on LinkedIn as well.

Of course, I understood and replied with an understanding and affirmative response.

That’s not the point. The point is he did not “need” to inform me before not showing up for a meeting, yet he informed me at two places – that too when it was a family emergency.

So so sooo fortunate to be working with such generous and kind folks. People who value the time and work of others just as theirs and not taking their art for granted are a priceless asset. Always.

Just that I got lucky, because the world doesn’t owe us anything. All the kindness and ease from clients like him is always a blessing to be bestowed upon. If you are one such kind soul reading this, thank you to you too! You rock <3 🙂

That chat with a friend

Last weekend, I was having a casual chat with a writer friend.

After exchanging pleasantries, I thanked him for helping me bag a wonderful client, to which he responded, “Thanks to YOU, it’s your hard work.” And thus, we continued being humble.

As the conversation proceeded, he told me he had also applied for a writing engagement, which was finally bagged by me.

Those words of him just moved me. Here I was, getting envious of the number of clients and interesting assignments he has, and here he was, perhaps having the same emotion as me.

Too often, we take the most important things in life for granted.

The work that brings food on our plate.
The parents (no matter how weird they are) that make us fight for our existence 🙂
The friends who make us realise we aren’t alone.
The colleagues and clients who understand us when we had expected to be fired.
And most importantly, counting the endless blessings in our life when the Life we have today was the life we had dreamt of years ago.

How will we get more and be more if we aren’t grateful for what we have already been blessed with?

Thank you, my dear friend, your humility was always an inspiration for me. Now you are an inspiration to be grateful for my blessings. You rock! Like always 🙂

We, the humans

Just because we are humans, we will thrive in accordance with living with other humans.

This would, in itself, make the process difficult because all humans are different.

However, if you learn to be easy, things are going to change – because you cared for the common good, you cared to make the other person feel good, and also you didn’t care to follow the angry zone of the world and marched to your own beat of ease and peace.

Goodbyes

Goodbyes are the most beautiful things on the planet.

When we know we have to say a goodbye, all of a sudden we tend to forget what pain they caused us.

We suddenly feel regret on the pains we know we caused to them.

Why does it happen in the first place?

It happens, because we humans tend to live life on the pedestals of tomorrow.

Will make that call tomorrow.

Will call my sister tomorrow.

Will pay the credit card bill tomorrow.

The way we love tomorrow, if we loved our today the same way – no goodbye would be so painful.

Here’s a parting question: Where in your life would we feel bad, if we didn’t get a chance to say a goodbye?