Minor Victories (The Cow Bolster Story)

Nothing is impossible.

When the "blind man" said the pulls for the blinds could not be adjusted, at least not today, I insisted that in fact it could. Adjusted it was, on the same day!

When the appliance salesman said that it was normal for a refrigerator to drip in its interior, I said that was not normal. The refrigerator was replaced with a "dripless" version.

When the Dabolim airport shop lady said that the IR200 Toblerone was not expired so it should be ok, I protested that the candy was bad. I asked her to have a taste and tell me. I gave her two good choices: give me something else of the same value or return my IR200. I got my money back.

I don't give up easily. However, India has a way of wearing you down into accepting things as they are rather than as they should be. Too many people throw their hands up in the air as it takes too much energy to fight the many little battles of everyday living in India. Forget the big things, it is the little everyday things that get you!

Case in point: I needed a big bolster (3' long, 15" in diameter) as a backrest for the daybed in my blogroom. I went to five stores only to be told that it was not possible. They had bolsters, yes, but only 28" long and 8" in diameter. Not possible! I asked why it was not possible to make a big bolster when it was possible to make a little bolster. NOT POSSIBLE!!!! Finally, trusty Ambrose remembered a store at the back of Indra Market sellling cotton & fiber fill. Eureka!!! So you see, if you don't give up, if you are persistent inspite of the naysayers, everything is possible!

As Ambrose used his Hindi magic to transact construction of my giant bolster, we came upon the most unusual cow. Have a look at those hooves! Is this cow the original inspiration for cowboy boots?

And that is my cow bolster story!