5 things that I learned from a leaking Petrol pipe – Short Story!

Sharing a quick thoughtful story with all of you. Last week, I refueled my bike for 600 bucks. Next day when I took the bike to office, I noticed the petrol indicator pin was a bit off-mark. However, I ignored and thought maybe it will take time to show full capacity (sometimes indicator pins do take a bit of time). While driving back home, I again noticed the pin at the same level. By the time I reached home, I had to turn on my reserve petrol button. I started inspecting and found a small gap in the pipe back of the engine and Petrol dripping off. Very small aperture but big enough to leak small drips of Petrol.

I turned off the Petrol lock for the night and took it to the local mechanic next day. He swiftly checked and said, “Sir, the Petrol pipe will need a replacement”. I asked how much would a new pipe cost. He said, “Sir, a quality one would cost Rs. 20”. I took a long pause as I expected it to be costlier than that. And, then I asked him to replace it.

While he did the work, I could not resist wondering how a thing worth just 20 made all of my ‘600 bucks petrol’ bite the dust. Diving further into my thoughts, I realized this experience took me back to some basics of life as follows:-

1). Never under-value or under-estimate anyone

Even a pipe worth Rs 20 got the bike to a standstill. If you are doing good for yourself, putting down other people or their work will never earn you any respect and you might end up burning your bridges forever.

2). Never let money decide your engagement level with someone

I didn’t inspect the indicator pin at the start as it failed to attract my attention. To engage with someone is an agreement to connect. However, if all our connections are purely driven by success or its worth (money), bringing about memorable moments is not a certainty. For example, does higher pay guarantee a great job satisfaction?

3). Assume = ASS of U & Me

I ignored repeated warnings and assumed the default was in the pin, not the pipe. Whenever we assume things, we make an ass of ourselves. Never assume anything in life, learn the facts, understand and then react.

4). Show some respect to people who work at lower positions

So, you talk to the director of the company? That’s nice. Shows maybe you have the power to influence him/her. How about the security guard on the gate who you get to see everyday? Talk to them, make them smile, crack a joke, life isn’t easy for them. You will immediately feel a satisfying sense of relief. There are many such people that you may choose to talk, without evaluating them with their status.

5). And, finally the ultimate reality of life

If you leave small vents in important relationships or take your loved ones for granted, you will be solely responsible for the heart break and pain.

A small hole ignored once might be difficult to mend when it becomes a bigger cavity

The points above are not new. These are really some plain old school basics. Life teaches us so many things daily provided we have an attitude to look around and learn. This experience might help introspect the way we ignore smaller commitments in life for bigger achievements. Personally, even if a single percentage level changes in me, I would not worry too much about my wasted money or petrol, for it reminded me of something important in life. I thought of sharing this experience with all, in hope that maybe someone out there might relate with this leaking petrol pipe (or life).

Do you think there are other learnings from this leaking pipe episode? Do comment and let all know. It would be interesting to know your thoughts too!

** This post was first published as a Linkedin post