The other day I was travelling in the city shopping for sewing supplies. The rickshaw driver on the way to the store was on the phone throughout the ride and refused to leave me at the destination because of traffic! When I pointed out that he has to drop me at the location and it’d take me less than a minute to get down, he started telling me that we live in an independent India and he could do what ever he likes. He was rude, insensitive and totally unprofessional. We had a war of words and I was left disgruntled.

I shopped with a sulk.

By the time I was done, the traffic had doubled and I was sure I would be stuck in a jam. But my driver on the way back home was such a chirpy man! He didn’t haggle and greeted people all the way through. At first I thought he personally knew the people he greeted but I soon realised that they were as much strangers to him as they were to me. He was just being nice and wishing people well!

Such pleasant was his aura that even though (I was getting late) stuck in the traffic, I was smiling. He smiled generously, threw nods of acknowledgement at people and waved hi and hello to almost every third person! His fleeting interactions left others in a better mood in that swarm of traffic.

That night as I reflected on the day, I understood that just by giving out pleasant vibes -no matter how much traffic you’re stuck in- you can make your surroundings better.

It’s really up to you which kind of driver you choose to be in your life.