“Mom, I need your signature on this form,” she said gently over the phone. “I’ve been thinking about opening a fresh deposit account. Can you join me in a few minutes?”

“Sure, I’m just around the mall, a few miles away,” her mother replied.

“There’s a 1% penalty on premature withdrawals within a year,” she continued. “I spoke to the lady at counter #4. What does that indicate?”

“If I want to deposit a fixed amount but can’t predict future needs, should I really lock it up?” she wondered aloud.
“Of course, unforeseen circumstances—like an unexpected life event—are beyond our control, though they’re rare,” her mother answered thoughtfully. “But if poor financial planning leads me to break a fixed deposit mid-term, it’s important to recognize the cost. I’d need to tread carefully—invest wisely, and diversify.”

“Once my partner and I finalize our business venture, wouldn’t a current account be the best choice for those funds?” She turned to the banker at counter #4.

“Certainly,” the banker replied with a smile. “Current accounts allow for quick deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.”

Later that evening, as they sat down for their journaling time together—
“Mom, drawing a parallel to bank accounts, I realized something today,” she mused. “I spent four minutes on the phone with an old colleague, but honestly, the conversation was one of those that took time yet led nowhere. I could have wrapped it up with a quick text instead—like the ones you send after office hours: ‘Not free to talk, please text if important.’ You never use the word ‘urgent.'”

Her mother smiled.
“Nothing is truly urgent if addressed in time,” she said. “Most things seem urgent, but they aren’t important. They drain our time, energy, and attention, leaving us exhausted when we could’ve saved those resources for the end of the day.”
“Isn’t that why so many working people feel drained by closing hours? That time should be for rejuvenation—connecting with ourselves, our loved ones, reflecting, and recharging.”
“It’s like leaving your phone’s data on all day,” she added. “Apps keep running in the background, and by the time you’re driving home, your phone beeps ‘Battery low—connect charger.’”
“Exactly,” her mother agreed. “We’ve all put the cart before the horse, draining instead of accumulating. But the good news is, we can begin anew at any moment. We can choose to accumulate, optimize, and energize—not just our finances, but our time, our energy, and our souls.”

Om Shanti.