Have we ever thought of being nice to people? We see them everyday. Not the dignified or the mighty. But the plain, drab ones. Simple people with simple means. Just managing to survive somehow.
Have we said,'Thank you?' to the waiter. Who served us at our beck and call.
I recall how a young waiter, so utterly fed up with his customer's unreasonable tantrums, finally peed into his mug of whiskey. He mixed it up briskly with the rest and served it happily. The man never knew.
Have we praised our maid's albeit feeble efforts to keep the house clean? Or do we keep harassing her for every insignificant thing?
Do we speak kindly to those who try their level best to make our lives so comfortable, at great cost to their very own?
How do we treat the milkman, the man who collects our garbage or even the driver?
Our driver,now leaving us, wants to stay on.
'Saab kabhi bhi hume daat te nahi the,' he says. He stayed on all these years though he had better offers somewhere else.
Have we thanked the auto chap,the sabjiwala or even the pot bellied grocer? Surely he needs no thanks, we affirm.
It's when we praise them or pat their aching backs that they really feel their mundane lives worth living. That tiny gift inserted into that frayed palm could send joy pulsating through his entire being. And ours too.
What if we all decide to just be nice to all who come our way. We must.
They are made in His image.
Even as we are.
