I had a wonderful experience today (Sunday, 26-Dec-2010). I took my nephew to a nearby super market. Being a Sunday evening, there were lot of people and even lot more in the billing counters. We were standing at 5th position waiting for our turn at one of the counters. There were many chocolates racks near the billing counters and those chocolates were kept there purposefully to make people standing in the counter to buy when they are waiting for their turn. While standing, i noticed two perk chocolates fallen off the shelf.
My nephew, while taking his chocolate disturbed couple of chocolates from the overloaded chocolates stacks. I had told him to place the fallen chocolates in its shelf. He did it many times as he was busy in choosing chocolates. All the times, he made sure that he kept the fallen ones on to the shelves. But his attention was not on the perk chocolates that had fallen off before we stood there. As an usual adult guy, i didn't try to bring his attention towards the two chocolates that fallen before. The simple philosophy was "i didn't create the mess (we didn't dislodge those two perk chocolates), why i should clear it".
After five minutes, i had a lesson from my young nephew. Finally, his eyes fell on the two chocolates. He picked up those two chocolates along with the new fallen ones. He cleared the whole mess. Though it was mess, i saw the mess differently than how he saw. For him, the mess is the mess and he has to clear it. For me, the part of the mess was due to me and the other part was someone else's. So, i dont need to clear others' mess.
Many times, we go to a training to learn etiquette. But being sensitive and watching little ones will teach us what the trainings can't teach.
It was powerful learning and great life's experience. I aspire to take this learning forward till I die.
