Fear or common sense ?

It was 11:30 in the night. I decided to take a stroll and flex a bit.

As I was walking down a lane near home, which happened to have a deserted lake at the other end, (the approach closer to the lake gets deserted) I noticed a car parked towards the end of the lane, with the tail lights on. It was dark and I guess the car had tinted glasses, whatever, I couldn't make out people inside the car.

Maybe, it was just harmless lovers, or just somebody who'd pulled over to take a leak. I dismissed the thought and continued to walk. I got closer and closer and still the car remained 'as is', tail lights on, no movement, all quiet. I began to think, what if it was a bunch of bad guys, who'd get out and mug me or something.

That thought just kept growing and I was reminded of how my friend got mugged in a lonely road a few years back and all the blah, basically none of my thoughts were helping me walk ahead and cross that car and trot off.

I stopped for a moment weighing the situation and decided to turn around and walk in the other direction, leaving the mystery car behind me.

As I walked away, I was trying to figure out if what I did was out of fear or plain common sense ?

Speed.

In my work campus, there are 3 speed breakers (really small fiber or rubber ones) from the entrance to the parking lot.

I usually don't slow down for the speed breakers, coz., they are extremely annoying, I just drive over in my usual speed maybe 50 or 60 kph.

Today as I did like I always do, a bunch of people walking that side(supposedly building admin), came running towards me. I was alarmed thinking I hit something.

So I got off and asked 'what happened' ?

The convo went something like this

Admin guy: [rude tone]"Is this the way you drive ? what happens if something had happened? This is not the national highway, this is company property !"

Me: [pissed from the way he spoke]"I understand that this is not a highway, but did anything happen in the first place ? Cut out the What if's and But if's !"

Admin guy: "Give me your id. card first"

Me: "Why ?"

Admin guy: [to the security standing next to him, managing to see my company name ]: "Note down his company name and send an e-mail"

It got over in a few seconds followed by a couple of dialoges in a rude tone. I know I won't get an e-mail, not that it'll matter a lot even if I did.

I realized I was driving fast for that place, I kinda like it to drive fast and make those quick turns. [ok, ok, I do realize this is not a racing track, but obviously just to make a few fast turns, you don't expect me to locate a racing track, pay an obscene amount of money and go make a few fast turns.Also, I know I am not racing material, just the occasional adrenaline rush, I suppose.]

But, the way in which those guys came running towards me, and the way that guy spoke to me asking for my id. et. all, I was just rude back to him. Didn't feel like apologizing or anything.

As I walked away, I felt a little bad. Why ?

Destination US of A.

You are told that you are going to be transferred to US office and that you will have to start working from there.

You get the usual excitement just like everybody, new place, new people, new culture, (prospectively) better life style, better money (when converted in rupees), you can now afford that apartment that you'd always wanted. You can send a decent bundle of money home every month from now onwards, you can bring your parents and keep them with you for 6 months and show them around etc etc...

On the other hand, you are the only one, to your parents now, your brother's already in the US. Your dad's already had a bypass surgery. You consiously know that old age is creeping in and health is deteriorating. They are slowly becoming immobile, travelling to a relatives wedding in a neighbouring town, or taking an auto to go visit a doctor is a task by itself, @ this age.

However, you sit and talk with mom and dad, they want you to go, take up the opportunity, they don't want to spoil your career and become a burden, also they want to be proud and tell other people that their little one has also made it to the US of A.

You finally make the decision to go, thinking you'll make some money and then get back in a couple of years.

After 6 years...

You are in a good job, own a house, a car, have brought your parents and toured them around.

Your parents are managing back in India, making regular visits to the doctor and back, doting on you wondering when you'll make that vacation plan and be with them for 3 weeks.

Then you get a call from a friend, saying that his dad passed away in a heart attack and that he has to travel back to India immediately. You console him, give him strength and tell him to take care.

Now you sit and think...what if the same thing happens to me?

What if I were in the same position?

Should I not be with my family when they need me?
Should I not be there to take them to the hospital, when they are ill?
Should I not be there to do the chores, pay bills etc...?
Should I not be around with mom and dad, to just spend time with them, laze around on that Saturday morning with mom shouting from the kitchen calling out to me to wake me up ?
Should I not be there to just sit with dad and listen to him talk about the stock market and politics?
Should I not be around to just listen to mom's problems and complaints about dad?
Should I not be there around for mom and dad?

Now you miss all of that and want those days back. You think, ok, whatever time is left, I should be with them at least during these times.

Then you think of your job, how much money you are making, and the EMI's you are paying every month, both back in India and here in the US.

You tell yourself, don’t worry too much, nothing will happen! But you've consciously accepted that someday, you'll get that call...and you'll have to take that flight.

That's life!

How many people...

...have the habit of wiping their hands under the seat after eating a piece of cake or sweets.

I just did.

It's normal practice that folk bring sweets when they are back from their hometown and cut cakes for somebody's birthday. A colleague just walked upto me and offered a piece of black forest cake, I took it with the help of my thumb and fore finger and tossed it into my mouth and relished it.

Now my hands were soiled, soiled as in not completely, but still you have that feeling in your fingers, automatically my hands went under my seat and voila...simple and easy. While I could have got up and walked up to the restroom at the other end of the floor.

Many a times people do it subconsciously, they don't even realise it. Today I did and will try to consciously remember not to do it again :)