The Satisfaction of Giving Someone is Unparalleled
Never thought that a single pizza can bring a smile to so many people
I looked at the clock, it was 8 pm. I looked out of my office window. I could see the rain pouring on the street below, on that August night.
Just than my phone rang. I picked up the call, and it was my wife calling to ask me when I would be reaching home. “Just about to leave, I should be there by 9.30,” was my answer.
She wanted to order dinner. “I am thinking of ordering pizzas for both of us. Would you prefer veg or non-veg?", she asked.
"I would prefer veg," I replied and disconnected the call.
Since morning, I had been holed up in a small meeting room, trying to complete some critical tasks at hand. I lost track of time and even forgot to order my lunch.
It was only at 1 pm that I came out of the meeting room to freshen up and realized that it was lunchtime.
Luckily I had some fruits that I had carried with me and tried to manage with them and a few cups of black coffee from the coffee machine, to keep me going for the latter half of the day.
So now my stomach was growling with hunger, and that just intensified when I heard that it was pizza for dinner. I just loved my pizza, and my wife knew it. I know the call was intentional to get me home quickly.
It was around 9.20 pm when I reached home and rushed through the door, hoping that the pizza boxes would be waiting for me. Instead, I could see my housemaid standing in my living room, talking to my wife.
I was a bit surprised to see her. In nearly five months, I had not seen her as all Mumbai gated communities had blocked entry to outsiders, including maids and nannies due to the pandemic, as a security measure.
She greeted me with Namaste, and I acknowledge her by nodding my head and quickly moved to my bedroom, to take a shower.
I came out of the shower in 15 minutes, by which time the maid had left.
I was having a headache as the digestive juices were overflowing and creating an acid cloud in my empty stomach.
I straightaway headed to the kitchen and started searching for the pizza boxes. When I couldn’t find them, I asked my wife. She was there cooking something, in which I was not interested. I was dying for my slice of pizza, and the wait made me feel irritated.
My wife turned and said, “wait for 5 mins the rice and dal (lentils) would be ready, have it with pickle, or I can fry some papadums for you”.
“Chuck the rice and dal. Where is my pizza”? I grumbled in frustration.
“Sorry, I had to drop the idea of ordering pizzas today. Also, it’s not too healthy and better to be avoided in current circumstances”.
I said, “Tell me this is a joke. And if yes, I am in no mood to laugh”; my hunger was slowly turning into a wave of anger.
“It’s not a joke. I had to skip the pizza plan as the maid wanted some cash advance of 1000 rupees for the upcoming Ganesha festival. She wants to go to her native place to see her grandson and daughter.
She had called me up just after our call, and I couldn’t say No as it was for a noble cause”; she replied.
My wife’s response left me fuming. “You could have given her the money but what stopped you from ordering the pizza. I earn enough to spend an extra Rs.1000.”, I said.
“We have already overshot our budget this month, and I can’t afford to spend more. Stop grumbling and have your food. It’s good for your health”, my wife said.
I realized that I had no options, and like all men know, you can’t win in an arguments with your wife, especially when you are brain dead after a heavy day at work.
My wait for revenge comes to an end
One month passed, and it was the end of September. The lockdown had eased, and life was returning to normal. I was still on work from home.
One morning, I woke up and saw the maid sweeping the floor. I realized that my wife had called her back to work at the first opportunity. The sight of the maid took me into a flashback of that frustrating hungry night. It was my time to square off the dues of the pain I had suffered because of her.
With a fresh morning mind, I was waiting for an opportunity to start the conversation and be at my sarcastic best. I wanted her to pay back for my suffering that night.
She smiled as she saw me staring at her, and that was enough for me to start my eagerly awaited topic, “So how was your trip to your daughter’s house?”
“It went good” was her short reply.
My sarcasm went up a notch higher, “you would have had a luxurious trip with the advances that you collected from all the houses that you work. How much did you collect? It’s good that you people have such options, which even we don’t. Our office never gives advance salaries. You are lucky”, I said.
After listening to my rant, the maid was a bit stunned. She had never heard me talk to her so much in the five years she worked with us. She stopped sweeping the floor and in a thin emotional voice, replied, “Sir, I work for ten families here. Four families were out of town, and five families refused advance payment, as they said their businesses were affected by the pandemic and had no money to pay.
Had it not been for ma’am, I wouldn’t be able to see my grandson, who I only get to see once or twice a year. I will never forget ma’am’s help in my life.”
She continued, “I never ask for any advance, but this year has been tough. Even my husband’s shop is closed, so we don’t have any income. We have not yet paid rent, and the half salary which ma’am gives me is the only income that we are surviving on.”
The answer struck me like a bullet in my heart. In my hectic work schedule to run my material life, I had somewhere forgotten about the grim situation around me.
I suddenly felt stupid and didn’t know how to respond. The anger had diminished, and empathy took over. The loss of pizza no longer seemed to be heavy on my heart.
I asked her out of concern, “was the Rs. 1000 enough for you? you should have asked for more.” I had suddenly started to feel that my wife should have done more.
But the maid’s reply stunned me. “Yes Sir, it was more than enough for me. I got some new clothes worth Rs. 350 and toys worth Rs. 200 for my grandson. I spent Rs. 200 on a saree for my daughter and Rs. 150 on a new shirt for my son-in-law. I used Rs.80 for my return bus fare, and finally, the remaining 20 Rupees, I kept in the feet of the Lord for his blessing on my family.
My entire family enjoyed the festival together, and above all, my grandson was thrilled to get new clothes and toys. His smile made my day. And all this was not possible without your kind gesture.”
I was speechless. Not because of her math or budgeting skills; but because — Never in my wildest dream, I would have imagined that a slice of pizza can be substituted for so much.
I realized that satisfaction is subjective. No matter how expensive and lavish pizza I would eat, I still won’t attain the same level of satisfaction that my maid got by seeing her grandson happy.
“Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take.” — Christopher Reeve.
My Takeaway
1. It's better to ask a question to understand a situation rather than building false perceptions. I felt like a complete idiot for my reaction, the moment I understood reality. It natural to react to a problem without understanding the background. We often forget the quote, “For every cause, there is an effect.”
After this incident, I started implementing the 5 Whys technique to identify the root cause of an issue, which has helped me in my decision-making. It’s worked for me so far and there is no doubt that it will work for you as well. You just need to try it.
2. Anger is a strong emotion of being upset or annoyed because of something unfavorable or bad. The problem with this emotion is that it makes someone want to hurt other people, to shout, etc. The rush of adrenaline triggered by this emotion blocks your mind, and you end up taking wrong decisions and creating a bigger mess.
I always try to control my anger by following the age-old “count to 10 exercise” of anger management. It just defocuses your brain from an unpleasant situation and allows it time to think and take the right decisions.
One more technique that I practice in extreme situations is to walk away from the scene. It is best if the case is about to go out of control. Going away from the scene will allow you to think about your next steps without going with the flow.
3. Learn to empathize with people who work for you. Empathy creates a strong bond and will help them to open their lives for you. Getting into their inner space would enable you to respond to their needs. Such bonds are for life, and you will always have loyalists who will promote your brand.
About the Creator
Kavi Kamat
A banker by profession and a writer by passion. My life has always been full of ups & down, a treasure which helps me to pen down my memories. Technology and self-help are my drivers and reading is my hobby.
Thanks for your time.
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