A Tale of Anchored Perceptions

In 2015, I purchased a Hyundai Creta when I was living in Indore. Being a newly launched model, there was a long waitlist of 3-6 months. However, I managed to acquire mine within a month by leveraging my contacts in Dewas, a small city situated 30 km away from Indore.

Upon the arrival of the delivery date, I travelled to Dewas, picked up my car, and drove it back to Indore. Since I upgraded from a hatchback to an SUV, I exercised extreme caution while driving on the Highway, maintaining a considerable distance from other vehicles to prevent any potential collisions. ⚡

Despite my reputation as a somewhat reckless driver, I adopted a highly vigilant approach. 🧠

Fast forward 9 years, and I now live in Mumbai, still with the same car. Naturally, over time, the car has accumulated various scratches, as is obvious for any old vehicle.

One unfortunate day, while my wife was behind the wheel, the car suffered a dent from a sizable stone along the roadside at the bottom of the rear left side door. Although this new dent was not so big, but quite noticeable in comparison to the other numerous small scratches that had gradually amassed over the years, 95% of which were my doing.

This scenario was akin to the proverb 'Sau Sunar Ki..., Ek Lohar Ki'. 🔔

Determined to fix the damage, I sought the services of a workshop in Chembur. After two days of denting & painting for 10K, the car emerged looking nearly flawless, completely free from any dents & scratches. 🚀

As I was heading home to Wadala from the Chembur service center via Eastern Express Highway, something unusual occurred. I noticed that I was driving much slower and more cautiously than usual. I found myself adopting the same cautious approach as I had on the day when I first drove it out of the showroom nine years ago. ⚡

Later I pondered why I was so cautious. 💡

Then it clicked: despite the car's age and scratches, the recent repair had revived it, bringing back the same care and pride I felt when it was brand new. 💎 

This made me realize how we humans tend to anchor our perceptions based on how things were originally, even though they change over time. 📌️

Despite the passage of time and the accumulation of imperfections, the repair acted as a reset button, firmly anchoring my perception of the car's value to its refreshed, flawless condition. 🎯

                                                                       

 (image courtesy: HikingArtist.com)