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Dearest Darling friends,
Charles Plumb was a navy jet pilot of the US navy. On his seventy-sixth combat mission, he was shot down and parachuted into enemy territory. He was captured and spent six years in prison. He survived and now lectures on the lessons he learned from his experiences.
One day, a man in uniform approached Plumb and his wife in a restaurant, and asked, "Are you Plumb the navy pilot?"
"Yes, how did you know?" asked Plumb.
"I packed your parachute," the man replied.
Plumb was amazed - and grateful: "If the chute you packed hadn't worked I wouldn't be here today..."
 Plumb refers to this in his lectures: his realisation that the anonymous sailors who packed the parachutes held the pilots' lives in their hands, and yet the pilots never gave these sailors a second thought; never even said hello, let alone said thanks.
As I read this story I said to myself, it was not only the pilot whose life was touched, each one of us have our life touched by a similar sailor. Only thing is, our sailors are our parents, our teachers, a stranger who gives us the cell phone to make that necessary call after our cell battery had been used up and many other people.
After I read this story, I have always asked myself "Who packs my parachute? Who helps me through my life?.... Who takes care of me Physically, Mentally, Intellectually, Emotionally, Spiritually? Who helps me in my career, in my confusions, in my tiring times, in my opportunities?......."
I have made it a point to recognise them and say thanks. Whether it is the auto rickshaw driver or the bhel puri man on the railway station today, whether it was the tired waiter or the traffic policeman yesterday, I do not leave a single opportunity to 'genuinely' thank people who touch my life, day to day. Not only do I talk to them, I ensure they smile before I take leave from them. My friends and my daughter Mahek are amused and awed by this commitment of mine. I believe this is the LEAST that I can do for my parachute packers.
I also believe, when we touch them, when we make them laugh, a positive part of us become theirs forever. They might be needing just that little respect from someone like us to believe in themselves a little more. They might be just needing that small smile from us to be positive and put that extra effort that life wants from them. They might be needing just that little extra encouragement to take the challenge facing them. Who knows? Their life has all the abundance waiting for them right at the next step.
I believe, this positive part of us might be all they are needing for them to lift their lives to the next pedestal.
If not this, at least this night they will sleep with dignity, and wake up the next day to take life 'head on'.
Someone packed our parachute and ensured we lived to celebrate yet another day. Lets pack someone's parachute today and return the favour.
With love, prayers and best wishes,
naren
As I live...I learn
na...@lifeschool.co.in
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