Friday Gyan 10: Grandpa's Table

Story:
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped, the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word were spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Moral:
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let’s be wise builders and role models. Because Children are our future. Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference. Take care of yourself,... and those you love, ... today, ... and everyday!

Friday Gyan 9: The Cookie Thief

Story:
A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops, brought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be...grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye." With each cookie she took, he took one too, when only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other, she snatched it from him and thought...oh, brother. This guy has some nerve and he's so rude, why don't he even show any gratitude!

She had never know when she had been so galled, and sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate. She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached her baggage, she gasped with surprise, there was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she sighed in despair, the others were his, and he tried to share. Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Moral:
There is a good old poem from Ernest Hemingway: "Before you act, listen. Before you react, think..."

Friday Gyan 1: Things we miss in life

We have a Book Community in my workplace, which shares inspirational moral stories termed "Friday Gyan" and I circulate the same within my team. Almost every team member reads these stories and appreciate. I thought of taking this forward to the wider audience and try to publish these stories every Friday. 

Story:
A man sat at a subway station in Washington DC and started to play his violin; it was a cold January morning. Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed the musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped by for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist and dance to his tunes. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

Out of the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped by and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32 in total. When he finished playing and the silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that around 1100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

 

This was a real life social experiment conducted by Washington Post to study about the perception, taste and priorities of people. And the violinist was none other than the world renowned, talented musician named Joshua Bell, playing the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell’s show was sold out at a theater in Boston for over $100 a seat.

 

Moral:
In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?