The Magic of an Impulse Buy!

Friends, this is a story of inspiration. Thanks.

5.45 pm. December. New Delhi.

Mrs Mona Chawla was already out of her cramped cubicle. She had to catch her 6:00 pm office shuttle, or else she would be late. Her daughter’s first-term exams were knocking at the door. And she wanted to be with her 8-year-old Reena at this moment.

Suddenly, a WhatsApp message popped up on her mobile. It was a group message from the admin of her chartered bus, saying, “Our bus has suffered a tyre puncture. So, it will reach each pickup spot 30 minutes after the scheduled time. Regret the inconvenience.” The 29-year-old steno secretary groaned. If this message had come even 15 minutes earlier, she would have taken a lift in a colleague's car. He lived very near her own home.

“Okay, what to do now?” mused Mona. Lacking anything better, she decided to while away the 30 minutes in the shopping arcade on the ground floor of her 15-storied office complex. As she strolled through the narrow alleys between the shops, her eyes got arrested all of a sudden. The cause was a full-sleeve sweater in vivid red on display at a shop counter. On an impulse, she bought it and took it home.

11 pm. The city had fallen silent. Reena and her father were already asleep. Mona, however, lingered on her kitchen chair holding the red sweater. Knitting was her pet hobby - she had always loved to knit since the time she picked up the skill from her granny. She had knitted woollens for her relatives and friends so many times. Each of them loved what they received.

After marriage, she had taken up a secretarial position to make both ends meet, but her heart was not in her job. Plus, the hassles of the commute and long hours left little time or energy to pursue her hobby. Now this sweater had reignited all those ancient memories.

Ancient? Was it? Could the ancient become current once more?

As Mona sat ruminating, the answer bubbled to her from within, “Yes, nothing is impossible! The past can become the present provided I make a sincere try.”

For one thing, she knew that custom-made sweaters commanded their own niche market. So, if her woollens found a clientele, she could think of gradually switching to her beloved knitting as her full-time profession. She could then happily stay at home to look after her daughter, who was now growing up like a wildflower.

In the long run, she could probably make even more money than she was earning. And most importantly, she would be much happier. The next morning, before leaving for her office, she confided her plans to her husband, Rajinder. He gave his happy consent as he liked the idea of their daughter gaining the full-time care of her mother. Within a week, he got Mona’s ancient knitting machine serviced. For all these years, it had been lying unused in the attic.

Within a surprisingly short time, Mona knitted two sweaters: one for her boss and another for Rajinder’s boss. When they received their unexpected gifts, both praised the quality and finish. In due course, Mona began receiving orders from both offices. Mona then made a sweater for Reena's best friend. Everyone in her class appreciated it. Even her class teacher appreciated it. Orders now began to come in from her other classmates. Soon, Mona’s neighbours also joined the queue for Mona's high-quality woollens.

Slowly, her dream took shape. It took time, but it did happen. It all happened because of an impulse purchase of a sweater. And that, in turn, occurred due to the delay caused by a burst tyre of a bus.

Who knew that a tyre burst had this much power!!
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