Actions speak louder than words

January 9, 2013

Paid In Full

Love ? I love love love you. (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on.

After his Mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00

For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00

For going to the store for you: $0.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $0.25

Taking out the garbage: $1.00

For getting a good report card: $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00

Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me:

No Charge

For all the nights that I’ve sat up with you doctored and prayed for you:

No Charge

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you’ve caused through the years:

No Charge

For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead:

No Charge

For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose:

No Charge

Son, when you add it up, the cost of my love is:

No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight at his mother and said, Mom, I sure do love you.

And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: PAID IN FULL .

Lesson from the above Inspiring Story:

1) You will never know how much is your parents worth till you become a Parent.

2) Be a giver not an asker, especially with your Parents. There is a lot to give, besides money.

Advice: IF your mom is alive and close to you, give her a big kiss and ask her for forgiveness. If she is far away call her. If she has passed away, pray for her.

A dear friend of mine sent me this message yesterday . It is a typically cheesy message which I am sure has been shared a hundred times by people who feel that just saying ” I love you” is good enough.

When will we learn that cheesy messages are not enough. Saying ” I love you is not enough”

Actions always speak louder than words

If health is priceless why should healthcare be free?

January 8, 2013
Yesterday I was struck by a bug that left me shivering in bed and running to the loo. For a while I was so sick that I couldn’t stop thinking the worst and was wondering how to tackle it when this morning’s headlines on p.5 of this morning’s MumbaiMirror, screamed ” Patients cough up more as docs hike consultation charges by 35%” . The hospital featured was Bombay Hospital one of Mumbai‘s leading hospitals. It seems that a doctor’s consultation fee was hiked from Rs. 1000 to Rs 1500. I was shocked to read this not because of the fee hike but because the patients who patronise this hospital find it far too expensive! And these are the very same patients who don’t mind spending on other things far more frivolous and far more expensive.

Consider this :
- A leather hand bag crafted by Ferragamo retails at Rs. 82,000/- + and still has takers.
- A hair cut can cost upto Rs 1800 and you still need a prior appointment
- A sari draper charges all of Rs 2500 and is still is very busy
- A wedding make-up artist charges all of Rs.25,000 and above and you’re lucky if he/she fits you in
These are also the very same people who
- Spend Rs.1000 for an hour of home Yoga tuition
- Fly half way round the world for a friend’s bachelor party
- Drive all the way to Borivili National Park for a glass of fruit juice
- Get the entire floor re-laid because the tiles were not exactly what they wanted
Studying medicine is not cheap. It may not run into lakhs as does an Ivy League education but it is still expensive.
- Since most colleges don’t teach much, pre-med students have to spend a lot of time and money going to classes to get past the entrance tests
- Some colleges have capitation fees
- Some medical students have to attend private tuitions if the teaching is not up to standard
- A post graduate degree is a must – seats are hard to get and sometimes expensive
- Post graduate students often work long hours at fellowships which pay them nothing or next to nothing
A medical education is time consuming
- Students have to put in the regular hours in class as well as study after class
- Students who don’t clear exams at the first shot spend several years/ attempts clearing exams
- Many students cannot afford to get married till they are in their 30’s
Besides,
- Medical students cannot refuse to check a patient
- Medical students are denied the use of gloves and masks while examining patients
- Medical students live in hostel accommodation that is uninhabitable at most times
Even after graduating, a medical doctor has to attend regular conferences, publish papers and undergo what is known as Continuing Medical Education to keep abreast of new procedures. Does any other profession have this re-validation process?
Some medical students earn less than corporate drivers or privately employed cooks.

Doctors are supposed to examine patients even in the middle of the night.

Doctors are supposed to climb up stairs to examine a patient even if they are medically unfit.

Doctors are expected to be on call even when they are on holiday or away from their work environment.

And our health is supposed to be priceless.

So why grumble when the doctor increases his fee?
Walking Dhobi Bundle

January 7, 2013

The weather is one of those topics rarely discussed in Mumbai. That is because Mumbai has a temperature that varies from hot to hotter and humid to wetter and being Bombaywallahs, this is nothing worth talking about. After all when it is hot and humid all that you can do is wipe away the sweat pouring down your head and when it is wet you just have to stay indoors or wipe yourself dry.So this morning at Yoga class, it was strange to have us discuss the weather. Our teacher actually pulled away the curtains so that the weak sun could filter in and she allowed us to lie down on our blankets rather than her cold, hard floor.

As usual everyone said that this was the coldest winter ever – and perhaps it is………I have spent the last month frantically looking for my woolens which have been laundered and kept safely for a cold day but still haven’t managed to find them. So I thought I’d try the overseas trick of layering, but for some strange reason it doesn’t seem to work over here.

Perhaps I’ll go down and scout around for the Tibetan sweater sellers but can’t seem to spot them anywhere…… till then, I’ll plug in the toaster and keep my hands warm. Or better still adopt the winter costume of the average Bombaywallah and pile on every garment that I possess so that I look like a walking dhobi bundle.

Actions speak louder than words

If health is priceless why should healthcare be free?

Walking Dhobi Bundle