Tracks of life

Almost a decade back, there used to be a track on which a lone train used to ply for close to three decades. He had very few stops and never had to give way for another train since the track was exclusively used by him. Given this luxury, he ran at speeds he wished and did whatever he pleased. But interesting enough not even once he got derailed and always remained faithful to the track.

One fine day a parallel track came into picture and a beautiful train started to run next to him. She was elegant, poised and much more sensible. He loved her company and enjoyed the trips together. With the additional track came the need for managing the network better and so came Station Masters who laid down the rules of running. Schedule suddenly became important and that was one major change for him and for her too. Though there were initial resistance to change they got used to it soon.

While the tracks mostly ran parallelly there were times when they had to cross their paths. They did that gracefully and soon were joined by two little tracks in a few years. Two smaller trains ran on these tracks and the railway network expanded adding further importance to schedule and time. All trains were running smooth. Except for a few hiccups here and there, by and large the network was quite good.

Everything was good except for that time of the year when he had to part ways with her and the two little trains for their annual maintenance and overhaul. This was when the trains returned to their garages leaving him high and dry. The three lines that run parallel to him were now empty. Though momentary, this emptiness was killing him.

He could neither go back to the days of pre-schedule nor ply with rules laid down. This suspended way of operation always took a toll on him. He was reminded of the very solitude that almost drove him crazy a decade back. His tolerance level was much lower now.

Nevertheless ply he did, looking forward to the day when the network restarted operations with the beautiful train and the little Chuggingtons back in action! Till then the choo-choo must go on... 

Good Enough? Not Enough!

It has been a year and a half since our last vacation. Reasons were multiple, for not able to travel somewhere since our last trip. What mattered most was that we finally decided where to go and started planning for the trip. Since the trip was planned for a couple of weeks, two hands were not enough for the preparation. Hence my wife and I both started getting things arranged such as hotel bookings, train bookings, sight-seeing tours etc.   

As we started with the activities related to the trip, we noticed an interesting phenomenon. Most of the times when I come up with an option which I thought was the best after an ‘extensive’ research, was not found good enough by my sweetheart. Many a times I returned the favour too. Our differences in opinion at times reached a pinnacle that we almost dropped the vacation plan!

Couple of weeks into the planning we now realize that those indifference got us much better deals and a great value for our hard earned money. We were fighting for a just cause and not just for a cause!

A trip planning is just one such example were you’ll observe this behaviour in the life of many couples. When it comes to spending money on something that is required for the family, there is a possibility for us to think that what we searched and found the best-in-the-world offer whereas if we extend our search a bit more, we could possibly get an even better deal. For the majority of us who are constrained with a limited set of financial resources, it is important that we develop a mind-set that gives real value for our money.

The indifference between the couples do not just bring the best, out of the deals for the family. Believe it or not, it also leads to couples discovering each other more. The very reason why one does not agree with the other is because of the fact that they’ve not really understood each other to the extent of knowing what their better half needs. Hence such indifference should not be perceived as a negative experience, instead is a step that takes the family forward together. Imagine the surprise and the happiness thereof when you discover a whole new nature hidden deep inside your partner!

While it is really helpful to discover each other more as a couple, it is equally important not to overdo this. You should ideally know where the limit is and draw the line accordingly. It is a useful common sense to know that a rubber band while can be stretched, will snap at some point. Many times this common sense is what will help you know the extent of discovery you should try to make. Just like a rubber band, you as a couple should learn to stretch each other without affecting the elasticity of your relationship.

The philosophy of ‘Good Enough? Not Enough!’ should really be applied with a genuine interest between the partners with the sole objective of bringing good for the family. There is a very high possibility for egos to work out during this conflict. It is equally important to apply the principle that for a relationship to really become beautiful you should keep an open mind to listen to the other side of the story. Learn to accept the fact that, what you thought as best for the family may not always be the case. This simple act of acceptance alone will take you a long way into the future as a family whose marriage was indeed made in heaven!

May you be fortunate enough to be blessed with the power of acceptance which probably is one of the most pivotal and beneficial skills to attain in a married life.

God bless!