I have been fond of chips from my childhood. Nevertheless, I didn’t often get to have them since my parents considered them to be junk food. When I was in high school, I had to become first in my class to have a packet of chips. I still remember the days when we would go to get the results, and if I came first, mom would buy me a big packet of chips along with some sour candy which is called ‘paun’ in Nepali. Chips have always been special for me.

Life is such a beautiful thing that it gives us things we don’t deserve. Let’s look at how nature treats us irrespective of how good or bad we are. We all get rain, sun, oxygen and all other things in equal amounts whether we are poor or rich. Similarly, we get treated with consideration by a lot of people during our lifetime even though we might not be worthy of it. Regarding courtesy, I have my personal experience of how my younger brother always treats me well even though sometimes I hurt him. I feel as if he is the one who understands me more than anyone in this world. He is 18 months younger than me; but in terms of maturity, I feel he is more mature than me in many aspects.

I still remember our school days when he used to give me treats every now and then. He is the one to calm me down when I get angry. His method is, however, very different from mine in terms of how to handle an upset person. I would leave that person alone to soothe himself or herself before he or she is ready to talk to me again. But he is not like that. If I am upset, he will be around me trying to calm me down. He will give me some of his pocket money and guess what he says. He says, “Hey, now, don’t be upset. Here is some money, go buy some chips and then you will be happy.” At this point, I laugh or at least smile because of how silly his reasoning is. He thinks that chips will solve all my problems. I wish it could. Even when we have fights, sometimes big ones, he would come after a while and hand me some money and say, “Ok, I forgive you this time. Go buy some chips and smile.” I wish I could be like him and cheer people up when they are upset. I also wish that I could have a forgiving heart like his. I wish that I could be like him, continually pouring courtesy on people even though they might not deserve it. Last but not least, I wish I could be like a packet of chips to cheer them up and bring smile to their faces.