Freeing the time

 

Freeing the time

Time binds us in numerous ways!

An adage i saw reads as,

(A meaningful  adage,
Often Understood only after retirement 😜)

"Some people talk to you on their free time, others free their time to talk to you. Learn the difference" 

Work-place experience is credible to learn from....🙏

So,
My experiences.

From the date of joining, till I retired, by sheer_freak_luck, I managed to avoid saying "I am busy, please come later" to any customer of the branch of bank, wherever I worked!

However, I set_my_priorities like this....
I am always available for customers who try to "transact" their bijness with me. ( they are my bread and butter)
Sometimes a rigidity in this might land me in trouble( when a boss summons me...😱, and a customer is waiting for me)

Once,        I said, "tell him, I have no time right-now, to talk to him".... the General Manager had sent a peon to call me, during his visit.      Manager got up red-faced, to come & shout at me! That GM, gestured to the manager to sit-down. Later at 5 pm, I walked upto the GM and said "sir, I am all-yours, till 10 am tomorrow.... "( he smiled! I am lucky, that a sensible man was a GM there).

I visited a large branch of a city on my holiday.  Curiosity(in me "is there somebody I know?" I spotted my past-boss, in a large cabin, peeping through "cut-glass-window". I quickly withdrew myself. He saw me. Sent an officer to drag me in. I explained, "sir, I hesitated to meet you because, you are now a 'big' man, heading a very large branch.🙏... so, you are busy". He barked into the intercom briefly, and it fetched an officer in. He instructed that officer :"don't send anyone in for the next one-hour"... and then that 'big' one turned to me "satisfied?...sit there"( he made time "free" for me 😰🙏.... I had worked under/with him, for 4 years, a decade ago.....enough to know, he won't be forsaking any customer for my-sake! Frontline staff & officers were there).

Negative incident. A chairman( boss of GMs) tried :"you are the only fellow i didn't find in your seat today"( he visited our very large branch, and asked to be introduced to staff @ 3 seconds each --- name, and a handshake.
I replied "sir, I am not paid to sit-on-this chair🙏.... I am running around to protect these cheques, drawn on our borrower customers account, to find out if any credit is likely to flow into the account to meet the cheques if-debited"( sometimes,  paperwork delays a credit from other departments,  when bills etc are "purchased" by the bank, from customers having this facility. Inward remittances need time to verify authentication of papers received)
That chairman converted his look into a blank-face. Too many seniors were looking for his angry-reaction, at my insolence.  But my reply rendered him defenseless😜. And his post( CMD) was too big to victimize a non-entity like me, a mere clerk! ( lady luck .....mayaMadam, as I call her, saved me🙏).

Another type of incident:         A school mate, when I met him at his bijness place, seeing him after 35 years, was busy! I sheepishly queried "hope I am not intruding into your busy schedule?"
And he shot-back :" yaar, when you appear, YOU-ARE-MY-PRIORITY"( I became TRANSFIXED , at his logic-defying reply🙏..... he defined "friendship" 😭)

Very recently, a colleague with whom I had worked during 1976---78.... broke all records of my experiences.  I stayed at his "home" for 5 days. He spared me, to be alone..... only when I was in the bath&wash_room( toilets and bathing places got constricted into a common-cubicle, in crowded cities😜). He was 24/7 with me. He freed up his busy-time for 5 days! 😱.

I am unfortunate.  Post retirement,  time has removed its tentacles off-me.

Freely yours,
psn(18 Jan 2025)