The magic of 'thank yous' !

Last night, while returning home after a late dinner, we met Mr. Beggar on a traffic signal. Middle aged and emaciated, Mr Beggar looked haggard and exhausted.

That evening, greed had taken over us and we ended up ordering more than our collective digestive systems could have churned. Good sense did prevail though and we were carrying along quite a lot of food back home. Mr Beggar painted a pitiable picture and immediately, I suggested handing over all the food to him. With a lot of compassion, my friend rolled down the car window and gave the food packet to Mr Beggar. He opened the packet and all the boxes with great enthusiasm. We were relieved to have made a difference in Mr Beggar’s life.

We weren’t expecting the ‘thank yous’ but we weren’t expecting what followed thereafter, either ! The signal had turned green and just when we were about to zip zap zoom past him, Mr Beggar waved to us.

“Ye kya hai ??” he looked angry. Well, then, he threw all the food in the adjacent drain as we kept looking with our mouths wide open. He was drunk and didn’t want food. Money was on his mind, honey ! Certainly, he values Indian currency much more than the world does.

“I could have had the ‘kadhai’ chicken tomorrow for lunch.. It was sumptuous.. what a waste ?” my compassionate friend remarked.

“Idiot, he dosen’t have an iota of gratitude.. huh..” was another response to this strange act.

This got me thinking. Gratitude should be a way of life. But, even to a child who is the purest form of life, it dosen’t come naturally.. Last week, when I gifted a ‘Fruit and Nut’ chocolate to a kid  in the neighbourhood, he accepted it with a huge smile but then, a voice echoed from behind him.. ‘beta, thank you bolo..’ !

It is relatively easier for us to focus on the things not moving and the misfortunes knocking at the door. Counting our blessings is an arduous task. It needs an effort and for Mr Beggar to practice gratitude, it would need a much greater effort.

The effort is certainly worth it because grateful people are happy people.

The next time someone gifts me a ‘Fruit and Nut’, I will remember to say ‘Thank you’.. So, anyone ?

By the way, 'Thank you' for reading this post ;D