I Beg Your Pardon...

I had to yank the shopping cart hard to untangle. Succeeding, my eyes met a fellow sitting on a near by bench at the entrance of the super market. I smiled.

"Maam"

A couple of steps later I hear again - "Maam... "
I turned my head.

"I AM HUNGRY."

How old is he? Fourteen or fifteen, may be. This young Afro-American boy, his face all bundled up in a black parka hood, is announcing - "I am hungry!" - As if I am his mom or auntie or a close neighbor.

I am startled. Yet I pause.

"May be when I get back". I answered. The boy nodded his head "Okay".

Believe me, I am quite good at ignoring these "spare a change?", "will work for food" kinda messages.

I used to see a woman sitting on a low wall of a church with all her possessions in a shopping cart. She wore decent clothes. Every Friday after grocery, on my way back home I would to see her - for quite a few months.

Some times I thought of stopping and talking to her. If I bought her a sandwich or give a box of crackers would she mind? - I thought. But I never did.

I grew up in Calcutta. I have seen all kinds of begging strategies.

Once, a lady - quite properly dressed, came to our house and asked to see the lady of the house. She told my mom her story so convincingly that we were mesmerized. Her husband had died recently from a stroke. Her only wage earning son, had a car accident and is in the hospital. She is new to this strange city and had no option other than going door to door for help. She wiped her glasses with the end of her shawl.

Ma gave her a robust donation.

We smirked and ridiculed Ma for how gullible she was and how easily she could be fooled.

"Well, then I pay for her superb acting"- She replied.

When all these beggar women, with a skeleton child on their hips cluster around our car, as we are stuck in the Park Street traffic jam - they stretch their palms for "a Paisa" (coin), I can easily roll the window up and direct the driver to remember to stop at the "Flury's" - the best baking shop in Calcutta

But today something happened. It was almost 3:40 pm and I have not had lunch either. My stomach was growling. The words echoed louder and louder in my head - " Maam..I am hungry, I am hungry."

As I was snaking through the aisles picking up stuff from my list, I was also unconsciously thinking of this boy.

Finally, I picked up a bagguette and a small cup of cream cheese and asked the cashier girl to bag it separately and stick a plastic spoon too.

I came out. The sliding door closed silently.

He was no where.

This is the first time I was refused by a beggar.

A Wish from A Genie

I came across an interesting term- RAS- acronym of - Reticular Activation System.

What I understood is- it is the part of the brain that acts like a strainer.

Suppose you are in a busy air port or train station and there are all kind of noise and cacophony. But you can manage to snooze. All on a sudden you hear- "Ms. Dita Basu - you have a call in the white courtesy telephone"

WHAT? Your antanaes are up. You are not sleepy any more.

So, my brain could let pass all that is not so important but just capture and hold onto what is important.

Experts say that this knowledge is applicable to any goal setting strategy. Athletes in Olympics use it, successful speakers and performers use it. They can visualize their success and train their brain to note it as a very important thing.

If you can manage this part of your brain, or rather you can understand the full power of this tool that you already have - you do have unlimited wealth and potential.

Oh My! That's why they probably say - you have unlimited potential, you just don't know about it.

So here, decide what is the one and only one thing that you can give your heart and soul and desire most? Can you dream it?

Oh No! I am in trouble. The Genie has come . "Quick Dita- Think of just one wish. One and just one thing ."

Traffic in my blog? Nah.

Clicks in my affiliate marketing? - Nah nah.

Just one wish - it must be more valuable than that.

"I want to give all that I know- Give me that wish"

The Genie smiled and turned his head. "It is all up to you. Remember RAS?"



He leaves.

I am left alone. I grab my bead box and create a necklace piece.

Knitted garnet teardrops in silver wire.