Long time ago, when my grandfather was still alive, I would always followed him out in the wee hours of the morning for breakfast in one of his usual breakfast joints. It was rejuvenating and interesting to have breakfast about 5.30 in the morning. Really enjoying breakfast in a typical small town way and not the everyday quick bite to rush off to school type of breakfast. It was one of those times when I could share some time with my grandfather and likewise for him.
We lived in different states of the country so, we tried to make it a point to have these breakfast every time my family visited. It was the good old days!
There was one instance when he fill up my tea cup half way to the top and suddenly he asked me, "would you consider this cup half full with tea or half empty with tea?". Quite frankly, I was puzzled. What would have expected a 12 year old to react to such a questions? It was random but at the same time my 12 year old brain told me that there was more to that questions.
I thought so hard that I was starting to frown and my forehead wrinkled. The sight of me frowning and thinking so hard made him chuckle.
"It's not that tough a question. A simple questions deserves a simple answer. There's no need to think so hard."
I gave up trying to figure out what was underneath the underneath and decided that the tea cup was half empty.
Then he went, "hmmmmmmm......."
I couldn't take the anxiety anymore and decided to ask him what the questions was all about.
"It's nothing to complicated my dear boy. Whether you think the glass is half full or half empty, decides on whether you are a positive thinker or a pessimist. Or at least that's the popular believe. So I guess, when you said you thought the glass was half empty, you are likely to be a pessimist."
I frowned........ and he chuckled again.
"Take it easy my dear boy. I am not making a joke out of you. I was just asking the question for fun. It doesn't matter to me had your response been the glass being half full. In fact, does it even matter?
"Since you asked me, I think it would matter."
"Hahaha..... it doesn't matter to me at all. Not one bit. You see, whether you felt the glass was half full or half empty didn't matter to me because either way you are going to be grandson always. Being a pessimist or activist didn't mean you were going be worse off or better off. It simply meant that's who you are. Either way, I will still enjoy my cup of tea and early morning breakfast whenever you are down here visiting me with your family.
What's important isn't about what sort of person you are but rather how best you make use of the time given to you by the almighty God in the heavens. It doesn't matter as long as you are willing to put your brain and your pair of hands to use, you'll never lose out.
My point is that you should never let yourself lose out simply because of what the world perceives you to be. No matter what gets thrown at you, as long as you put in honest effort into it, it'll never matter if you are 'half full glass person' or 'half empty glass person'. Remember that kid!"
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