My Coin Has Heads on Both Sides

I was feeling irritated because of a traffic jam that afternoon—such a waste of time. We had barely moved for the last fifteen minutes. In the middle of the jam, I noticed a woman pulling a cart loaded with five heavy bags of white powder. She was dragging it with both hands, carefully finding her way through the traffic.

She was Neeta Devi, probably in her late forties. She was covered in white powder and dust from head to toe, even her saree. Her hands looked rough and strained, but her grip on the cart was steady, as if it had learned the rhythm of this road over the years.

I felt the urge to offer her some water and talk to her. She refused at first, but after I insisted, she smiled faintly and gulped down almost half the bottle in one go. To start a conversation, I asked her why she had refused even though she was so thirsty.

She said, “Because I am used to feeling thirsty every day. It’s not new for me.”

Here’s how our conversation unfolded.

Me: Do you carry such a heavy load every day?
Neeta Ji: Yes, this is what I do for my livelihood.

Me: This is very heavy for your age, don’t you think?
Neeta Ji: (smiling slightly) Not at all.

Me: (amazed) Do you have someone who helps you?
Neeta Ji: My husband used to do this. He hasn’t been well for the past four months, so I have taken over.

Me: It must be tough.
Neeta Ji: Not at all. These carts give me confidence that I can pull through even when life is not in my favour.

Me: How do you manage both your work and taking care of your husband?
Neeta Ji: It’s easy. I cook early in the morning around 6 a.m., ask my daughter to take care of herself and her father, and then leave for work. I return home around 8 p.m., cook again, we eat together, and then sleep.

Me: You work from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.?
Neeta Ji: Yes, I work for three vendors.

Me: How much do you earn, if you don’t mind sharing?
Neeta Ji: I get ₹50 per kilometre for each cart I pull.

Me: Is that enough for your family?
Neeta Ji: Mostly yes. Otherwise, we just cook rice sometimes, and it works. (She smiled and adjusted her grip on the cart.)

Me: Don’t you feel tired?
Neeta Ji: Sometimes, especially when my daughter is sick, because then I have to make multiple trips home between vendor breaks.

Me: What happened to your daughter?
Neeta Ji: She has asthma.

Me: How long do you plan to continue doing this?
Neeta Ji: Until I can take care of my family.

Me: It sounds really difficult.
Neeta Ji: I am happy that I can manage and that my family is recovering. That’s all I can ask for. Isn’t that enough to think about?

Me: How are you so okay(positive) about everything?
Neeta Ji: I always use my coin to decide what to do.

Me: Coin?? How does that help?
Neeta Ji: My coin has heads on both sides. I never lose. I’ve learned that sitting and thinking about problems doesn’t help. Making decisions and taking action is the only way—so I just keep going.

The traffic finally began to move. As I drove ahead, my irritation felt smaller, almost unnecessary. I had been stuck for fifteen minutes, worrying about lost time—while she had been moving forward all along, with a coin that never allowed her to stop.