They say human beings are creatures of habit.
We wake up every day, we go to work, we worry, and then we repeat — until one day, something shakes the pattern, and we see ourselves clearly again.
Let me tell you a story from my own galli. I heard this from the owner of the small arts and crafts supply shop — a story about tea, time, and the tiny changes that sometimes mean everything.
The Chai Ritual
Every morning at exactly 10:00 a.m., an elderly man named Mr. Batliwala walks to the same corner stall for chai.
He sits on the same wooden bench, folds his newspaper neatly, and greets the chaiwala, Rajesh, with the same line:
“Beta, thoda kam chini, zyada pyaar.”
(Less sugar, more love.)
Rajesh smiles, pours the steaming tea, and they share a few quiet minutes before the city — and its bustling life — fully wakes up.
It’s been like this for years.
Same bench. Same cup. Same warm, simple connection.
The Day the Habit Breaks
Until one morning, Mr. Batliwala doesn’t come.
Rajesh notices instantly.
He waits an hour… then two. He even sets aside a cup — just in case — but the tea cools, and the day must move forward.
Later that week, a neighbor tells him that Mr. Batliwala has been unwell and is resting at home.
So the next morning, Rajesh does something he has never done before.
He brews the tea exactly the way Batliwala-uncle likes it — less sugar, more love — pours it into a steel flask, and walks down the lane to his house.
A Small Gesture, A Big Meaning
When Mr. Batliwala opens the door, his eyes widen… then soften.
He laughs — half embarrassed, half moved.
Rajesh simply says:
“Sir, habit nahi todhni thi.”
(I didn’t want to break the habit.)
That morning, they sit on the verandah, sipping tea as rain patters softly on the tiled roof.
No stall. No bench. No newspaper.
But the same comfort.
Habits: Love in Disguise
It’s funny, isn’t it?
We think of habits as dull routines, but sometimes they’re love in disguise — tiny rituals that anchor us.
A way our hearts remember to show up… even on the most ordinary days.
Maybe being creatures of habit isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Because hidden inside our rituals — our morning chai, our evening walks, our phone calls, our prayers — is a quiet rhythm of care and connection.
We keep doing them not because we have to, but because they remind us who we are… and who we love.
In the End…
So yes, we’re all creatures of habit.
But maybe, just maybe, our habits are the language of our hearts — repeating, reassuring, and gently keeping us connected to what matters most.
This is A Little Zen, A Little Mess, and I’m Seema, reminding you:
Sometimes, it’s the smallest habits that hold the biggest love stories.
