AFTER ALL, IT'S ALL SMALL STUFF... DON'T SWEAT IT
A week
ago, my friend, Vivek, had shared with me a Post. Its source was unknown. In
this Post, a man, who had crossed 60, when asked if he was changing, says, “Yes,
I am changing…” and, goes about describing the little, subtle changes that have
come in. I could relate to all of them, as, I, too, had turned 60 in last July…
I found myself quietly checking, if the author’s changes were mine, too…
Indeed, they were mine, too.
Not only mine, I felt, they were of a vast majority, as well…
When we are young, we
are a lot impatient, critical and competitive. We tend to complain, fume and
rant excessively… We sweat the small stuff. But, with age, most of us see the
futility of such excessive restlessness – complaining, fuming and ranting… We
learn to slow down… We become less argumentative and more accepting and
peaceful…
Some of the little,
subtle changes, and the author describes in his Post are…
Yes,
I am changing:
I’ve now stopped bargaining with the vegetables and fruit vendors. After all, a
few rupees more is not going to burn a hole in my pocket. But, it might help
the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.
Yes,
I am changing:
I now pay the taxi driver without waiting for the change. The extra money might
bring a smile on his face. After all, he is toiling much harder for a living
than me.
Yes,
I am, changing:
I’ve stopped telling the elderly that they have already narrated that story
many times. After all, the story makes them walk down the memory lane and
relive the past.
Yes,
I am changing:
I’ve learnt not to correct people, even when I know they are wrong. After all,
the onus of making everyone perfect is not on me… Peace is more precious than
perfection.
The
age 60 is just a metaphor. Time mellows our hearts… Yes, most of us learn not
to make a huge fuss over small stuff… Late
Richard Carlson’s little book ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… and It’s All Small Stuff’
carries scores of these little, subtle ways in which we can learn to make peace
with our imperfections. In its introduction, the author recalls a stressful
moment… Apparently, in one of his earlier books, he had used certain text from
the famous author Dr. Wayne Dyer’s book. Before he could get the permission
from Dr. Dyer, the publishers had already come out with the book. Richard
Carlson was very worried as he thought it was not ethical and right… He wanted
to explain to Dr. Dyer the situation and apologize, and, if needed, he was ready
to pull out the publication of the said book. Thus, he wrote a letter to Dr.
Dyer. To his surprise, in a few days, he received a reply from the famed author
saying, “Richard, Don’t sweat the small stuff… and it’s all small stuff.”
The weight fell off
Richard Carlson’s heart, instantly. Dr. Dyer’s advice, ‘Don’t Sweat the Small
Stuff… and, It’s All Small Stuff’ – went
on to become the title of Carlson’s next book (his 10th book), and
it was destined to make him as famous as Dr. Dyer himself!
Early
this morning, I caught an auto outside our society gate to my workplace. While
getting off, I saw the fare on the meter… It was thirty rupees. As I was paying
the exact amount, the meter jumped to thirty-two. I had already stretched my
hand holding thirty rupees… The auto driver, who seemed to be in his late
forties or early fifties, gave me a look, which suggested, that the meter now
was showing two rupees more. I quickly added another two rupees and gave it him
gladly, saying, “Aapka pehla bhada hai.”
I had Buzzo (our
favourite society dog) and his companion, Sony, both waiting near the auto…
They always come running from wherever they are and greet me and want me to
caress them till I reach my office. Today, too, as I was getting off the auto,
both of them kept asking me, through their wagging tails, to caress them… “Good
morning Buzzo… Good Morning Sony,” I started caressing them, as we all – I and
my two friends – kept walking towards my office. After a while, when I looked
back, I saw the autowala still there,
at the same spot, looking at us delightfully…
I was happy… He was
happy… Buzzo and Sony were happy…
There were days, when I
had sweated over such small stuff… yes, early in the morning. I had argued over
the fare… that extra one rupee or those extra two rupees…
Today was a new day
with a new window… I cannot say if the change had come about with age 60… But,
my heart was telling me, “After all, it’s all small stuff… Don’t sweat it!”
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Uttam Ghosh
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