Quite Simply

In-gradient

I was standing near a gate, waiting for a friend, lost in thought. That was when a gatekeeper requested me to unblock the gate's way to the lock. I was lost. His words for the first time never seemed to reach my ear. Even his second attempt to move me out of that place had failed when he came over to gently pat me on my back and said Sir, I need to close this gate. We are past our working hours and now you are just adding to the delay. I replied saying Oh. But tell me this....

I asked him You work here right? Now, let's say you go home and your wife says 'I am willing to give up the best thing I have to make you happy. ' And let me tell you, she means it. Now, you have the chance to go and get your best thing at the expense of her's. There are no other alternatives. What do you do? A similar situation you would have come across in...say....thirty thirty-five years..ever?...never?

The keeper said Look young man. I am fifty and your thirty-guess did cheer me up. Thanks. He said with a smile and continued In my thirty years of work as a Concierge, janitor or a gatekeeper, I have seen people walk through a gate either leaving their troubles behind or considering themselves a tad bit heavier with troubles. Some treat the insides as a prison and some treat the insides as heaven. Same applies to the outsides. There could be a unique explanation behind each of those feelings.  For example, I would deny my wife's offer to let her best thing go, to invite mine. Burdening yourself sometimes lightens that very feeling. So a prison or heaven, insides or outsides is so much on the individual. That would explain the insides-outsides parallel or equilibrium. He stopped there and smiled at me. And then he said May I ask the reason behind your question? I do hope that this long version of my answer helped you a bit. For you to quickly decide to move from here (he said pointing to the railing) so that this gate closes, for me and for the answer you seek. I replied I am just deciding what the inside situation and the outside situation are in my case! Thanks though.



I stepped aside and continued my wait for my friend whom I would be meeting for the last time.