When Existential Crisis Kicks in... (3)

 "Hello, sir", he approached reluctantly. 

"Hi..", said us in unison knowing what exactly was about to happen! Yes. It was not the first time for us to be stopped by a random person, dressed in proper formal attire with a hand full of multiple credit cards. 

"Sir, I am ..so and so.. from XYZ Bank", he went on with a scintillating smile. 

Of course it was a call to action from a credit card sales person. It was not a rare sight though, this time it turned out to be a painful encounter.

He asked my husband if he could get a card. My husband, being a person with a purse teeming with cards, declined his request politely.  The conversation was a lengthy one. 

"Sir, there are numerous offers available for this card." said the sales person with proofs to support his claim. My husband, despite unwilling to buy the card stood there puzzled and I, rooted. After a couple of minutes, finally we walked away with an apologetic smile. The man although was not happy, stuck a plastic smile on his face, awkwardly.

Trust me what I saw on his face was not just an awkwardness, it was a mix of pain, disappointment and self doubt, but it all changed within the beat of an eyelid.

I noticed him from afar. He did not even give a vague hint of that disappointment on his face. "Hello, sir..", he resumed to the next person as usual with an even brighter smile on his face. For a moment, my heart sank.

"Pch.. How miserable their work nature is -- standing throughout the day, smiling despite the disappointments...", my husband started. 

"True.", said I meekly and added, "for him more than standing, every moment is a battle for survival. He has to keep looking up despite people's irritated stares and multiple disappointments. To keep smiling when the voice that says FINISH THE TARGET goes on loop in his mind."

The conversation stopped as we started walking through the aisles, picking groceries. My mind though was reluctant to forget his pain drenched smile.

An array of questions started reverberating  ---"Do you still think that your job is miserable? Are you sure you have to feel low? Do you need a therapy to carry on with your own life?"  I felt a tight slap on my face. I reflected on the numerous times I felt low for no reason; the days I wasted cribbing that I was exploited;  the moments I wasted being stagnant because of self doubt. 

And that was my learning that day. Before cribbing about our job profile, the work nature, pause and look at the people like the salesperson and realize how blessed and comfortable our lives are.