Money is driving us haywire.
People can survive without oxygen but money. I was noticing a man in my office
who came one hour early to work and was
happily doing overtime without even manager asking him to do so.I always used
to pity on him and mock at his commitment which I found unnecessary and just a
mere show off.
One day I just felt an
urge to ask him the reason of his dull and mundane life which starts at office
and ends at the footsteps of our office building. I asked him, “Why do you work
so much?” he smiled and just avoided my question as joke.
I took away his hands
from the keyboard and asked him that when was the last time he has surprised
his wife by going home early. Has he seen his daughter saying “papa” for the
first time.
He carried a very
faint smile on his face and answered me-“I have to pay my half salary every
month to see my daughter going to a good school. This overtime never pleases me
or I am a workaholic but the money from overtime allows me to take my wife out
for a dinner once in a five star hotel every month. My presence turns boring if
I don’t add any extra efforts to make my family feel special. Every family
member expects monetary gifts from the earning member of the house. My presence
is not that special when I am sans surprises or a something special. I work
hard to meet my family’s expectation. I too feel like sitting like you in a
group and chat.”
I was not agitated or
shocked listening to his reply but was spell bound. His reply was so heart
touching that it bought back those memories when my dad used to come late from
office and daily I used to search gifts in his bag. I was never bothered to ask
why he was late or how he managed to get gifts so often. I had tears in my eyes
and I just walked away. We get upset when our dad scolds us for silly reasons like keeping the tap on and
forgetting it or leaving the ac switched on even while leaving the house for tuitions.
We feel how it matters if air conditioner is switched for an hour more. The
truth is that he works his guts out to earn the money to pay all the bills of
our house.
We complain our
husband for not taking us out for a holiday like our friends husband do. We
never realize that how hurt he gets in failing to keep us happy even after
getting abused badly by his boss and working late night when we are quietly inside
the cozy blanket .He also feels like throwing a resignation and taking a break from his boring job. He can
never do so because he has a bucket list to fulfill. In that list the only wish
he has is that he wants to keep his family happy. They don’t share because we
never try to understand.
Just hold their hands
and thank them for every inch of hard work they have done to fulfill our
dreams. Instead of making wishes let’s just spend a day with him without any
expectations. Let’s share that burden equally.
