The necessary adjustments we make in our lives

In life, we are forced to adjust our style statements as per the available clothes. Call it compromise or adjustment; many of us are not blessed with many choices.

The forced incarceration at home has made many of us adjust to the unforeseen difficulties and advantages. One fine morning, the wife said, “The cooker gasket is out of order and not in shape. Steam is leaking. Please order a new gasket.” I placed an order using an online platform for spare ones with the original equipment manufacturer. Promptly came the reply by email that their store was closed due to shut down.

I was given the choice of cancellation and refund or waiting indefinitely for lockdown relaxation. The wife said she would adjust without the cooker. She started cooking like olden days and drained excess water from the vessel after the rice was cooked.

Most matrimonial advertisements seek well-educated, well-employed and fair-complexioned brides or grooms for wedded bliss. In reality, all prerequisites may not be fulfilled. A dark-skinned groom may have a good education and a golden heart which will be revealed only in real life. The skin cannot help come to a conclusion about the person’s soul. In most arranged marriages, the man and the woman start adjusting with each other after their wedding oath.

“On rare occasions, one does hear of a miraculous case of a married couple falling in love after marriage, but on close examination, it will be found that it is a mere adjustment to the inevitable,” said Emma Goldman, famously labelled as a feminist and anarchist.

At a wedding reception, the caterer cooked for 500 guests but ended up serving 600 of them. “How did you manage?” I asked. “That is a professional secret,” he smiled and refused to discuss the matter.

Later, I learnt that some caterers add hot water and salt to the sambar to stretch it to the last plate. Guests may be forced to search for paneer in the so-called paneer masala. The servers also keep a distance from the diners so that they cannot ask for a second helping of tasty dishes of their liking. Students dream of becoming doctors and engineers. Their marks do not always help them get the subjects of their choice in universities. Some end up adjusting to the courses available against their marks and still succeed in a new field. Thus, adjustment is inevitable in life. The only thing we need to see is, whether it affects the quality of life adversely, and make fewer such adjustments.