Wish to know secret of happy relationships? Read this story
The Parable of the Coffee Bottle
A young couple had neighbours who were senior citizens, the husband around 80 years old, and the wife about 5 years younger. The young couple were very fond of the elderly couple and made it a point to visit them and have coffee with them every Sunday.
They observed that the old lady would bring the coffee bottle to her husband to be opened, every time. The thoughtful young man gifted the lady a gadget, without her husbands knowledge, to easily open the bottle, and showed her how to use it.
On their next visit, the old lady once again brought the bottle for her husband to open! The young couple was amazed! Had she forgotten about the gadget? When the opportunity arose to be alone with the old lady, they quizzed her about this. Her reply made them speechless… She said: “Oh, I can open the bottle myself, even without your gadget! But I get him to open it so he feels he is still stronger than I am and thus the man of our home, that he remains useful to me as always; that I still depend on him; that togetherness is the main ingredient of any marriage… We don’t have many more years of life in us, and togetherness is of utmost importance.”
Debrief
My mom wants to serve me dinner everyday (I can very well do it on my own). She does it even when I order food from outside or even when she is not feeling well. Initially I felt she still treats me as kid but later I realised that – my dinner time is the undistracted time she gets with me. Once I realised that I stopped putting efforts in serving food for myself and focused more about talking and sharing.
Therefore before doing something on your own, see what that work or work time with you means for your loved ones.
NOTE: The story source from Whatsapp group ITC Storytelling by Navneet Kaur
subodh anjal 