Cary, North Carolina
Tailor Swift had a good readership & there were a few comments as well. Thank you readers.
Amar Chintopanth gave a swift review: “Superb, Prasanna.”
Tarun said: “The suit that was tailor-made at the time of my marriage 40 years ago, bears testimony to the fact that I had a 'V' shape as opposed to a barrel shape. The suit is a stark reminder that if you don't stop adapting and adjusting like a swift and creative tailor you will soon be unfit for marriage. In other words, tailor and spouses have a common ongoing attitude to ensure a good fit - Solpa adjust maadi!!”
Lakshmi Raman says: “I like the title of this FC 'Tailor Swift'. Today tailors get paid more for their services which are neither swift nor sleek. Gone are the days when tailors struggled to earn a living from stitching. Tailors, like today's chefs and beauticians, command a good price.”
Capt. Sarma writes: “Your Filter Coffee about Tailor Swift has been both interesting and illuminating. It brought back memories of my days in New Delhi in the 1980s.
New Delhi has a very cold winter and a hot summer. The winter clothing was essential and they were expensive. So at the onset of winter, there used to be a big rush in tailor shops, especially the ones little beyond INA Market. This particular street was full of tailor shops. All these shops were known as 1st Wonder, 20th Wonder, 100th Wonder etc. All these tailor shops specialised in alterations and repair works. They could do any kind of alterations and make the final product look like new. We used to call the area 'Wonder Market'.”
💨Headwind & Tailwind
On the Delta flight from Atlanta to Raleigh, the captain announced that we would be touching down shortly ahead of time, thanks to some tailwind. I then started wondering how these winds influence our actions and our life’s journey.
Besides aircraft, winds also influence sailing, particularly the sailing yachts. The personification of wind could include people around us who are influencers, the society we live in that influences us obtrusively, and the occurrences in our lives that influence the course of our lives.
Speaking of sailing, my friend of 30 years, John Nelson of Greenidge Connecticut USA, a regular reader of FC, met me and my wife up in Morrisville, NC for dinner with his soulmate. He owns a schooner and sails to Nantucket where he has a little house. He is adept at reading the winds and adjusting the sails. He has faced headwinds that slowed him down in real life, but his unyielding spirit has been his tailwind prodding him to pursue his life’s passions. There are many seniors like John that I know of who have a never-say-die attitude.
It appears idiomatic that headwinds retard and tailwinds aid progress. If this proposition is tested in our life’s context, it may mean more than that. Take for instance my desire to buy a new car. The moment I made known this intent, I had both solicited and unsolicited (more of this) opinions, suggestions and caveats too. They took the wind out of me. I then paused and reflected on them to see how they influenced me or deterred me from making a choice, There were many caveats. “Don’t buy an electric car, the technology is still evolving and wait till Tesla comes to India”. Then, “Don’t buy diesel, buy the petrol version”. Then a stinger “ Be your age, buy something sturdy and not trendy. But buy an automatic. At your age your reflexes aren’t great. Ouch!”. Then there were many opinions on the make of the car. One said, “Be Desi. Buy Tata”. Japanese, Koreans, Germans, Czech and other makes were lined up as if it were a beauty pageant.
I turned to my son-in-law, whom I trust, to help dissecting and unravelling all the enigmatic options thrown at me. 70% of the seemingly helpful suggestions were in the category of headwinds, slowing down the process. 30% belonged clearly in the tailwind category aiding the decision-making process. Interestingly, the headwinds did not deter me but helped me make a more informed choice and the tailwind helped me conclude a buy.
Unfortunately, that was not to be the end of it. At the book club meeting when my wife mentioned the new acquisition, her friend, whose husband had just bought a Tata Nexon EV, told my wife that it was an excellent buy. My wife promptly accused me of not being eco-friendly and opting for a petrol car. I weakly protested “ But you never mentioned this earlier”. Pat came the reply ‘ When have you taken my views seriously?”. That left me winded.
In life, headwinds may help you pause and reflect. Tailwinds can prompt you to make decisions in haste or make you hurry through. We have to be perceptive and decide if what is being suggested aids us to move ahead or retreat. ‘It’s windy and might rain” can make you press ahead with protective gear or stay put in the comfort of your home. Discretion is the better part of valour, as the saying goes. Valour alone is insufficient to disregard a headwind. Discretion is to wait for conditions to improve that act as tailwinds aiding your progress.
What about impulsive people, like me? I often move ahead and do not feel good about it, or even regret the move later. Did I pause to think about the consequences of my action or was I being headstrong? Ironically, where the head is involved there’s room for reason but where the action stems from the heart it is borne out of passion. Headwinds do play out when you pause and think through whereas tailwinds fuel your passion prompting you to go ahead unmindful of the consequences.
Instances of young people drowning in choppy waters demonstrate the yielding to passion borne out of bravado. Swimming against the tide may be more challenging than swimming with the tide. But when some take a plunge when the tide is treacherous, woe betide them who gave into reckless impulse.
Love and infatuation are like the two poles but often mistaken one for the other. Infatuation is a euphoric state of being enthralled by a feeling of romance allowing the tailwinds of passion to lull the desire to know more about the person before engaging emotionally and physically as well, at times. The headwinds of caution, circumspection, and introspection often precede falling in love. Infatuation mistaken for love can cause distress unless that infatuation morphs into love through the reciprocal efforts of the two individuals towards cementing their relationship as soulmates.
Can stubbornness be equated to a headwind? Presumably so. If one is stubborn, the people around that person have a hard time convincing him to not pursue what he has set out to do. Eagerness, on the other hand, can be the tailwind that puts a person in pursuit of some purpose.
I have said enough on the subject. Suffice it to say that I encountered some headwinds while writing this post. It is not easy to focus when there are so many distractions stemming from the festive atmosphere of a wedding. I am sure my readers will forebear the inadequacies of this post.
In conclusion, let me say that headwinds challenge progress, if not hinder progress. Tailwinds are factors that facilitate progress. Neither one can be cast in stone as a disabler or enabler. Both play out in their peculiar way as we face a series of challenges and aspire for something or the other and in the process learn from everything that we experience.
There’s a saying in Chinese
“When the winds of change blow some people build walls and others build windmills”.
Until next week stay safe and look out for those headwinds and tailwinds. Both are your friends, depends on how you look at them. Cheers!
Until next time, Ciao.
I had both head wind and tail wind in life. Now it is calm.
Very well said. So, true