1. Balloon.

It would sound like a very typical situation but touched me and managed to roll down some tears.

A thirty second encounter with a ordinary looking person made an impact on my heart for a much longer time.

While I am writing this the core impact has kinda vanished like the sun in the hazy monsoon clouds;  yet the reminiscence of the same gets me grilled into the black-hole of thoughts.

Off-late,  I choose to walk quite often and yesterday was one such days when I plugged my ears using a headphone and was listening to something and I encounter a person walking with a bicycle and carrying some balloons with him.

As the eye contact happens,  the first few words that come to my ears were - 'Sir, please buy a couple of balloons as a result of which I can fetch a small amount good enough to feed my family tonight '.

All I did was took out a 10 rupee note from my pocket and handed over to him saying that,  dude I don't need balloons but you can keep this money.

He was reluctant to keep and was insisting on me to buy balloons to which I nodded in a no and left.

It left me with 2 thoughts.

A. How foolish of me not to buy balloons from him. I could have very well bought a couple of them and gave it to some poor beggars child and could have been a very small reason to see a smile on his/her face. 

B. I keep talking about the purpose of my life when my stomach and brains - both are full. What was the purpose of that balloon vendor's life?  He had to feed his family that very night and that was larger than life of a purpose.

I have got money,  thoughts and understanding.  What am I doing?  Where am I utilizing my resources that most of the people on this planet long to have?