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I have been dealing with that same computer house for about three years. I came across this Abigail Thomas interview that captured my imagination and I needed to photocopy it as study material. The lady is in the class of her own.

I was surprised to learn of the impression I have in the mind of the lady managing there probably others too on money. I asked the lady that I wanted the work compressed, pictures gone. I calculated how much each page cost and concluded I am not with that kind of pay.
She agreed and directed one young guy to do the work.

I was surprised that about fifteen pages of work can be compressed into three pages well done too. I was impressed and have to tip the young staff that did the work. When the lady managing there thought I was out of earshot, I heard her said: “So, this man can give someone money?”

I shake my head to that statement. Is this the impression these people have of me here?
Am I really stingy or are they reading me wrongly?
Am I even well to do guy in the sense of average Nigerian?

I know that no matter how poor one might be, there are people you are far better than and to those people, if they don’t see what they expect from you, they will complain to themselves at least. But why would an able man not be able to pay for those fifteen pages or more still, how come he can not afford printer and computer in his house? How come he can not dress well as an adult?
Where is the man that they are seeking tips from? Tip is foreign culture in Nigeria and to Nigerians, it is one of the reasons we are having serious trust problems in Nigerian banking sector today. Number one reason staffs are accessing customers accounts without their knowledge and same reason I am poor man fighting to make ends meet each month.

Why would people in my mind I believe their prices for doing any tiny thing like printing a page that was fifty naira climb to two hundred a page within a year?
Our impression of people might be exactly what the same people has in mind of us. I am sure that the comment from the lady emanates from my hassling prices the day she told me after printing something I thought was hundred a page to pay two hundred. For contending, she added me to her stingy people’s black book while i added her in my mind to my greedy people's black book.
Funny thing about arriving at conclusions in our minds.

In the comfort of my room, I took an honest assessment of myself in that regard and concluded that money is just like they said, pregnancy. It can not be hidden when it comes no matter our stinginess. Even if I am stingy to myself too, then it is mental problem and what I needed was help not lambasting.
Yeah, such people deserve sorry and prayers not back talk or mouth washing.
I tipped not because she agreed to my request but I suddenly found money with me and it will be crazy not to be grateful for the help rendered.

The lesson I went away with from this episode is that when we ask, there is this probability that we will be given if what we are asking for exist with person we are seeking it from and the person honestly believed that we needed not as luxury but necessity. I asked and was given and the staff did not actually asked but I saw the need to give because I had and acknowledged his effort.

Good turn like the saying goes, deserves another if you wish to view it from that angle too.
So, when in need, try to make your problem known. No one like to be a beggar as we view requested tipping here is . It is self undermining and for one to muster courage to ask? He doesn’t have. Above all try to be source of blessing to others and others will be source of it to you.

No one is an Island.
Calculate that way always.