The year 2020 made sure that our focus moved from reel life heroes to real life heroes. I had the opportunity to meet a real life hero today, an elderly gentleman. I had jumbled up a couple of Dunzo delivery app orders and ended up chatting online with the customer care executive for long, to sort the issue. The Dunzo delivery executive waited patiently. He seemed very gentle, educated and calm. And did not show any frustration on my goof up. I began talking to him in the meanwhile. I learned that he lost his visa documentation job, which he has been doing for a very long time, in early march, because of the Corona situation. That too without much notice. He took up the delivery partner job soon after. When I asked him if it paid him enough, he happily replied ‘something is better than nothing.’ He explained that he manages the timings well, his wife works too, and his son is in school (is a state basketball player)- he proudly mentioned. Mother is ill and had a brain tumor surgery three years back, where probably all his life savings (close to seventeen lacs) were spent. His father is retired and takes care of the mother. He was grateful that something is available to get him through the tough times. His smile was infectious, and made me feel that all is well in the world.
I felt grateful and my troubles seemed so tiny in front of his herculean tasks. What was I cribbing about for the past couple of days? About making difficult decisions for my life? I was not grateful even for once, that I had the luxury to make a choice!
While he was waiting, I felt for a moment, to give him something, for himself or for his family. But, at that moment, I felt what can I possibly ‘give him’? What he ‘gave me’ today is an invaluable teaching!
Our awareness is so less, of the daily struggles that people face and accept just to survive, and they adopt so quickly with time. We get shaken up by the simple things in life, and live in an illusion which the mind creates and makes it bigger every time!
I was extremely grateful to have met him and understood this lesson very well. He was truly living in the moment.
