Thoughts on Detour

I am with my daily newspaper near the poolside, just to inhale some fresh air. I look around and it seems that spring is back with all its beautiful colors. Weather is pleasant. And aha… my favorite chipmunk who occasionally roams around in the building is there too. The beautiful colors, fresh air and not even the chipmunk could hold me for long and I am back in my room.

It is a bit uncomfortable situation, when you and your bare thoughts are alone!! You don’t have that “mute” option to stop the volume of the thoughts. Both conspire in their own way leading to the place unfamiliar and uncharted. You argue with your own thoughts and it is always a win –win situation as it is either you win or your thoughts. But I kind of like such situations where I am just “me”: the best, good, bad and the worst of me all together; free from all pretensions.

I am not sure whether I want to write this, as my thoughts are still in conflict with my heart and ‘me’. No, I never want to sound so negative! Suddenly the spring colors are losing the sheen, world appear to be transacting and nothing else, though no radioactive radiations are around but the freshness is also not there, suffering and devastation is all I can see.

I fondly remember one of our friend’s son asking his favorite riddle every time we meet him: “the biggest pān (or Paan: betel leaf which is generally chewed) which nobody can eat?”

And he would then proudly answer Japan!

Now I wonder whether he can still ask this question when tsunami and earthquake have already engulfed the third most powerful economy of the world and when nuclear disaster is almost feared.

My thoughts are asking me, “Have you shed a single tear on those thousands of innocent deaths? You even cry when things don't work for you...”

I can’t lie. I answered: No!

Thoughts are playing rapid fire round with me ,“you seem to look busy preparing your weekend plan”.

I said, “Yes”.

My thoughts are back with a bang, “So nothing has changed for you?” and now I shrug and try to answer: No, it is not like that. I am worried about them.

Thoughts in action mode pose another question: “you look relaxed and think privileged that your family, friends and relatives are safe and so you do feel sympathy but not empathy.” Now I am in no situation to answer and I hate my thoughts when they ask such questions. I tried to overrule them by giving all possible explanations.

I want to give a pause to all such thoughts. I start reading the newspaper and find disturbing news. No one cares about real emotions. Doubt if Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the name suggests is the state of masses. Don’t know if anybody cares about the civilians: Col. Gaddafi or European/ US and Arab forces marching towards Libya? Saudi Arabia is supporting the Sunni ruled Bahrain. On the another hand, Iran’s interest is adding fuel to fire to Shiite revolution ; which is nothing new as they have done it in Iraq and Afghanistan. So the nations are in rat race of grabbing the power and the emotions of the common masses are ruthlessly buried!

Somehow today my thoughts don’t want to leave me, but I want to; just like parents don’t want to leave their kids but they want to when grew older.

Now this one is real bouncer from my thoughts, “Haven’t you start losing emotions? Do you still feel the same way? Do you laugh at the jokes as you used to? Have you not become self centered? Nothing affects you so much”.

It was a real bummer. I feared to say, “Yes”. I speak to myself that I am becoming more like a computer. I could hear the inner voice which is shrieking on full volume and which I want to ignore, “not just computer but Watson!” as it only knows to win, though can’t feel anything.

Trivia…

It was Saturday morning…. Saturday mornings carry special sweetness and who wants to get up early? Gee!! It was 9 a.m. and I was all set and enthused to attend a FREE vegan cooking demo at one of the restaurant. So ‘Free’ and ‘Vegan’ were like music to my ears. On the contrary, my husband was already feeling as if he was in doghouse. The only incentive for him was the hope that whatever the Chef would demonstrate; he would get a sample to taste, as was written in their mail, “come hungry!”

So, I reached there and found that the place was already jam-packed. I finally grabbed a place to sit, though could hardly see what she was demonstrating. While the Chef was demonstrating, the waitresses with beautiful smile (second incentive for someone?) were serving the samples of the soups and stews. Darn…Why on earth do they keep such complicated names of the dishes, difficult to remember? May be, it is the way to glamorize the dish and give a feeling of enjoying something rich.

While collecting the used disposable cups and spoons, the young girl sitting next to me asked the waitress that she wanted to retain her spoon for the next delicacy as she did not want to waste one. Waitress smiled and said “Okay!” Meanwhile the lass gossiped with her friend that the waitress will fake it up and would take out a spoon from one cup and would serve it to her. She will still waste the spoon and pretend that she took care of her guest. Surprisingly, after three serves, I could see in my neighbor’s eye that she was wrong and that she realized of being genuinely served by waitress. Of course, this incident is no big whoop! But it tells that sometimes just fixing the things does not solve the purpose, but fixing it genuinely definitely does. Creating a difference between pretending and being original and genuine is quintessential. Such customers want more authentic experience.

I was wondering that the restaurant took no time in approaching and engaging us, immediately after becoming the member. Getting data is not a problem these days but using the data and engaging and partnering the customers is difficult. The restaurant tried all their efforts to make the cooking event successful (including giving gift bags to some) and in engaging guests. Another day while shopping for vegetables and fruits in a superstore, one unusual thing grabbed my attention. One fastidious shopper requested an associate that she wanted to taste apples. The superstore had no such policy. There were almost 8-9 varieties of apples and this guy cut each one of it and gave it to the lady to let her taste and decide. While removing those cut apples from the displayed position, this associate winked and whispered – ‘different types of customers!’ I smiled and thought he was right.

Most of the times it is not the big things which matter! It is those small incidents that help in creating an overall fruitful experience for customers. I have had many such experiences which are insignificant but impressive. Be it the guide who almost drove his cart all the way to help us in parking at right place in one of the shopping mall or the Clorox strips available outside one of the superstores to handle the shopping cart to prevent infection from other shoppers handling the cart. Or the very friendly exchange policy at one of the apparel store who refunded the entire amount even after the expiry of the term, as they understood the problem or the attendant wishing with great enthusiasm and cleaning the car at gas station while getting the fuel. Such stories are neither spicy as habanero chilies nor interesting as any reality Television show and bring no mirth but are significantly important to make the customers contented. Giving a good experience is like driving on the street and taking care of subtle aspects and not frenzying on a freeway. So piece of advice to companies from a customer: Trivial it may be.., but such small incidents if handled nicely can leave the experience of having some gourmet chocolate … melting slowly and smoothly in your customer’s mouth…

And did I mention the quote by the famous British novelist C.S. Lewis: “What does not satisfy when we find it, was not the thing we were desiring”?