The Monkey Business of Life: Embracing the Unexpected

I’m not a regular blogger….nor am I an avid thinker or philosopher…..But there are some events, visuals or stories powerful enough to force my lazy ass to write. One such visual caught my attention when along with my mother, I happened to visit a vegetable market in my locality.

We were buying vegetables when suddenly a group of monkeys decided to “visit” the market. Monkeys co-existing with humans is not an unusual or rare occurrence in India. And for most people it’s not too scary either. However, in the vicinity of Street food vendors, vegetable vendors etc, we usually see people making loud noises or waving a stick or shoe to scare them away. Primary motive for the reaction is to safeguard their produce. And of course, there is a hint of fear at the possibility of being harmed by the monkeys. I too, was expecting a similar scene …A commotion of hawkers running with sticks, shouting to scare the monkeys away. Panic and frenzy across the market with customers ducking behind the makeshift stalls fearing a bite or slap from the monkeys…the business at standstill.

 

However, to my utter surprise and amusement, the hawkers seemed to be unaffected by the monkeys. They had set aside a crate of tomatoes for the monkeys to chow down. And the monkeys happily gathered around and feasted on the tomatoes. There was the typical monkey behaviour with occasional infight, and few rogue monkeys still going at the carts for a carrot or banana. But majority of the monkeys were content with the tomatoes leaving the hawkers to focus on the business. Customers too were less scared, buying the required goods and going about their way.

 

And this got me thinking: The hawkers had a mutual understanding. Each time the monkeys visited, They would offer their sub-par produce which they’ve set aside instead of discarding. It distracted the monkeys from creating un-necessary ruckus, prevent destruction of more than what they can eat, avoid scaring the customers away and even save damage to their temporary structures done by scared running monkeys.

Downside: May be some losses for the one hawker who had to offer them a crate or tomatoes or corn. But they do this in round-robin format….so most likely each vendor facing such loss only once a month.

Upside: All the vendors can continue with business including the one who offered some of their produce to monkeys. This way they can recover the losses much faster, avoid scaring the customers and prevent damage to their structures.

In retrospect, we all come across similar scenarios in life. Monkeys are the unexpected events which derails your plans.

A Monkey is:

1.      An accident leaving you with less time to prepare for your exam.

2.      A sudden dinner meeting with old friends ruining your diet plan you’ve stuck to for a week

3.      That sudden dip in your portfolio valuation, denting your financial planning.

In each of these events, the monkey is unavoidable. And its not feasible to include all possible “Monkeys” each time you make a plan. Because there are simply too many possibilities of things going wrong. So what can we do?

We can feel depressed about the plan and efforts going down the drain. Scared of planning things in future, afraid to repeat the failures, get angry, frustrated, and hurt the loved ones standing by you in support.

OR

We can take a step back, evaluate the new development and modify the plan accordingly.

1.      If an accident has derailed the study plan, focus on the chapters where you’re rusty and revise the important questions to get the maximum learning in the short time that you’re left with

2.      If the binge eating at a night-out with friends have ruined the diet, do a water fast the next day to compensate and put your diet plan back on track

3.      If the portfolio has dropped, cut the losses and invest the money in other instruments which would help you recover the losses

This is easier said than done. Humans have an inherently strong “Fight or Flight” response which is hardwired in the DNA. Thinking on your feet and bringing the situation to logical conclusion is against the basic human instinct. However, with practice its possible to rewire the brain and avoid “Fight or Flight” response.  Train the brain to take a step back and evaluate the new development.

Life is full of unexpected “monkeys” that can throw us off track, but it’s how we respond that defines our success. The next time your plans are disrupted, remember the hawkers at the market. Instead of reacting with panic or frustration, take a step back, assess the situation, and adapt. Whether it's reworking a study plan, adjusting your diet, or rethinking your finances, there's always a way forward.

So, the next time a monkey shows up in your life, don’t let it derail you. Offer it what you can—acknowledge the challenge, work with it, and keep moving forward. In the end, the only thing that matters is how we choose to respond. Take a deep breath, recalibrate, and keep going. 

Because, like those hawkers, you’ll find a way to make the situation work for you.