"Corner Store Wisdom"

Wisdom can be just around the corner. I went to my favorite local convenient store in my neighborhood of Brighton, 'The Father & Son Market.' The owner who manages the store has rather chubby cheeks and cheerful eyes. He has a jovial demeanor which is useful in brightening the days of the customers who come in with harried and glum expressions, suggesting they are leading miserable or mundane lives as they buy large quantities of ice cream drumsticks, complain about their husbands, and purchase lottery tickets with a cynical mind, and openly state how they know they will lose. The customers continue to flow in and out of the store as the door chime rings, signaling the entry and exit of each new cusomter. After a few minutes, the friendly store owner, whom I call, 'uncle' begins to share a story with me about 'Shakti' after I mentioned to him I just came back from a yoga retreat, and felt rejuvenated and bright. He tells me that many people in his store spend their days cramming their minds with thoughts and then try to find their blessings in junk food, lottery tickets, and beer after feeling abnormally tired after only one day of work. He eagerly summons me to listem to him. He had a story to share. So he starts to tell me the story of two men. Here it goes:

One peaceful man sat beneath a tree. An angry man came to him shouting an onslaught of horrific words to him for three straight hours. Surprised that the peaceful man remained quiet and did not flinch or become reactive, the angry man questions him saying,"How is it that after all of the insults I have slung at you, you are not angry with me and never replied back to me?" To this, the peaceful man says, "Sir, if you gave me $1 as a gift and I did not want it, then surely I would return it back to you, right?" The angry man, reples, "Yes." Then the man of peace says, "Well, your three hours of angry words was a gift I did not want. So, instead of receiving it, it has been returned back to you. You may keep your anger." And with that, the peaceful man left the puzzled angry man and his anger, behind.

The store uncle had told this story in his own language (in Hindi). With an animated facial expression of both joy and wisdom, and with one hand gesturing in the air, in Hindi, he continues to say, "I only shared this story with you because you mentioned, yoga..." Thankful for the wise words, I expressed my gratitude and left the store with my cup of coffee in one hand and my grocery bag in the other, thinking, maybe one day, the customers too, will awaken to what the uncle is saying.