Saturday, September 6, 2014

'O' is for trying not to go "Over the top....!"

"Good morning Doc, I have to get my voice back," the young lady said frantically to me one morning in my office. Her voice was hoarse.
"I'm sure it will get better," I said, "It'll just be 4-5 days."
"Oh no..no.. I have to speak at my daughter's graduation this Saturday. And that's just 3 days away," she said. She really looked worried now. 
I glanced at her again. "Your daughter is graduating?" I asked, just to be sure. She sure looked young.
"Yeah doc... and I have to speak in front of 150 people..."
"I can understand that. We can give you a small dose of steroids to hasten the recovery," I said. And then I looked at her chart and saw that she was 32 years old.
"I need your correct date of birth," I said to her. "My staff made a mistake -- I have you as 32 years old." I was apologetic.
"I am 32 years old," she said. "Do I look older?" she had a painful look on her face.
"No.... not at all..." Now I was really confused. Could be an adopted child, I thought. "I am sorry... you just said your daughter was graduating.... and you are 32.... " My voice trailed off.
"Yes, she is.... from Kindergarten," she smiled, understanding the confusion.
"Kindergarten?!...... " I was taken aback.
"Yes, Kindergarten," she repeated.
"You are having a Graduation party for 150 people ... for Kindergarten graduation?" I couldn't hide the incredulity in my voice.
The young lady suddenly had a guilty expression on her face.
"You think that's too much?" she asked.
"No....no.. no.. " I lied through my teeth.

A lot of times in our lives, we have a tendency to go over the top. Sometimes the splurging is due to genuine excitement and happiness. At other times, it is just to outdo somebody else! And being a Panjabi, I should know. Panjabis as a people, as a culture, are well-known to go all the way, and then some more. 

Going over the top is not necessarily about parties and get togethers we host. It's also about our attitude during our day to day interactions. Its about dropping names, being extremely expansive about our worldly knowledge, and showing off in general about wealth, our success etc.  And why do we do all this? To impress folks around us. Generally, people who feel secure about their social status will not show off as they don't feel the need to do that. You should know you made it, when your friends tell their friends, that you are their friend.

There is a fine line between being proud of our accomplishments, and showing off. Making a lot of noise gets the attention, but not always the right kind. Let the success after working hard make the noise. Too many people spend money they have not earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like.

"Celebrate your success, take pride in your accomplishments......but don't go over the top. Because sometimes, the fall on the other side is steep and quick." ~ Author unknown

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