On Sharing
It was a very early on a bright Sunday morning when we started out on a long drive. All of us at home enjoy this kind of long drives and we have fun talking about everything under the sun.
It was a little different this time as both me and my sister did not want to eat outside. We had packed lunch from home and had planned to have food at one of the fields beside a tube well.
It was well past lunch time that we finally managed to find a lush green field.After Appa spoke to the farmer,we all took our huge picnic bag and walked towards the tube well in single file... We have never walked in a field and wanted to make sure we don't disturb the work that was happening there. An old farmer remarked to Appa, " It is sometimes important for us to let our children know that rice does not grow on trees ".. It sounded an interesting comment and slightly degrading all the same, given that all of us had a flair for Botany.. "The comment was a casual passer-by comment and never intended on us" - I reassured myself.
We were very grateful to the farmers for letting us spend quite a lot of time on their fields. After a lot of playing, eating, and conscious effort to ward of the sleep that the gentle cool breeze induced in us, we finally decided to drive ahead.... We carried back an almost empty bag, except a few biscuit packets.
As we walked back, we saw a group of tired farmers and an old lady with a tea pot +a few stainless steel cups. I looked at my watch to see it was 4:00 in the evening and their tea time... Wondered how long will their work day extend to... As we crossed the clan, we smiled at them and they invited us for tea. I looked at the tea pot. It was just enough for the group, but they still offered. We politely declined saying we were too full from a late lunch we just had....
We waved them a "Bye" and walked further on. All of us stopped to look at the next person in the file, and we kind of knew that we all had the same thought in mind..
"Their hospitality is amazing and whats more amazing is the fact that they had very little to offer and still they did, with all their heart." We gave the group a few biscuit packets that we wished would "make their tea time" that day.
Back in the car, all of us sat dazed and still are impressed beyond words with the attitude they showed towards us, strangers...
Could not help contrast this with our urban behavior: We would not let any stranger in first... leave alone extend an invitation to join us for tea... They don't have much and are not bothered about sharing whatever little they have...
We have money and we would not be left without anything if the wealth gets lost or stolen... We are still are worried.. Sad, we have to do this because of the growing crime scenes in the world... is one reason we can give. So forget strangers.....Are we open to share as much or little with close folks???
It was a little different this time as both me and my sister did not want to eat outside. We had packed lunch from home and had planned to have food at one of the fields beside a tube well.
It was well past lunch time that we finally managed to find a lush green field.After Appa spoke to the farmer,we all took our huge picnic bag and walked towards the tube well in single file... We have never walked in a field and wanted to make sure we don't disturb the work that was happening there. An old farmer remarked to Appa, " It is sometimes important for us to let our children know that rice does not grow on trees ".. It sounded an interesting comment and slightly degrading all the same, given that all of us had a flair for Botany.. "The comment was a casual passer-by comment and never intended on us" - I reassured myself.
We were very grateful to the farmers for letting us spend quite a lot of time on their fields. After a lot of playing, eating, and conscious effort to ward of the sleep that the gentle cool breeze induced in us, we finally decided to drive ahead.... We carried back an almost empty bag, except a few biscuit packets.
As we walked back, we saw a group of tired farmers and an old lady with a tea pot +a few stainless steel cups. I looked at my watch to see it was 4:00 in the evening and their tea time... Wondered how long will their work day extend to... As we crossed the clan, we smiled at them and they invited us for tea. I looked at the tea pot. It was just enough for the group, but they still offered. We politely declined saying we were too full from a late lunch we just had....
We waved them a "Bye" and walked further on. All of us stopped to look at the next person in the file, and we kind of knew that we all had the same thought in mind..
"Their hospitality is amazing and whats more amazing is the fact that they had very little to offer and still they did, with all their heart." We gave the group a few biscuit packets that we wished would "make their tea time" that day.
Back in the car, all of us sat dazed and still are impressed beyond words with the attitude they showed towards us, strangers...
Could not help contrast this with our urban behavior: We would not let any stranger in first... leave alone extend an invitation to join us for tea... They don't have much and are not bothered about sharing whatever little they have...
We have money and we would not be left without anything if the wealth gets lost or stolen... We are still are worried.. Sad, we have to do this because of the growing crime scenes in the world... is one reason we can give. So forget strangers.....Are we open to share as much or little with close folks???
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