It is amazing how just a couple of sentences spoken long long ago stays in your memory.
I was crippled with a herniated disc when I was in my early 20s and was bed ridden. The pain was excruciating and I couldnt even turn around in the bed, forget standing up (We take so many things for granted - like our ability to stand up, walk, run. I appreciated the value of all those when I was bed ridden, unable even to stand up, all those years ago).
My good family doctor refered me to an Orthopaedician in Coimbatore. Dr.M V Daniel had headed the Ortho department in CMC Vellore and since his retirement was doing private practice in Coimbatore. His treatment was part psychological and part physiological, with emphasis on the former. Courteous to a fault, I learned Customer Relationship Management from him (that is for another post).
He admitted me in his clinic, and in a few days I started walking again, but with a list to the left side and in pain. One day, he called me from the Verandah of the Clinic, asked me to come out of the room. He then told me to walk the length of the long verandah. I did so but with difficulty. When I was about 5 steps away from the end of the Verandah, I turned and returned to where the good Doctor was standing.
He looked at me with searching eyes and told "I am unhappy you did not take those last 5 steps, which you could have, but decided to return not attaining your goal. This is a flaw in your character. I hope you will correct yourself"
That statement stuck my heart like a sharp arrow. I was always very good at commencing things, but had a bad habit of not seeing it to logical conclusion. But since that fateful day, I made a conscious effort to change myself, and today I take every single issue, small or big to the logical conclusion.
