Everyone has flaws. Mine is that when I’m exhausted or have a trillion things running through my mind or am fixated on one particular thing, I tend to drop the ball.
Sometimes, I am able to reverse my error. No harm done, and life goes on as usual. Other times, however…
So, for some inexplicable reason, my debit card got spoilt, and I couldn’t withdraw money from the ATM. I called up the bank and got a replacement card. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have activated my replacement card in the minutes before I withdrew money from the ATM. My pin didn’t work. It threw me off guard. I then realised I had to reset my pin and proceeded to do so. All this mental manoeuvring must have overwhelmed my attention span.
I forgot to take the $80 from the ATM.
The thing is, I wasn’t even that tired. But because I was intent on getting my debit card to work, I forgot the most crucial step: taking the goddarn fiat!
In the grand scheme of things, $80 isn’t catastrophic. It amounts to one week of my lunch money or one month’s worth of shitposting content creation at Stacker News.
It sucked. Things like this have happened to me before. I once left my bag (which contained two library books) at the entrance of my son’s school. In the end, I couldn’t find it and had to pay for the books.
And how can I forget the time when I almost lost my staff pass? Luckily, the next morning, I went back to the playground my son frequented and managed to find my pass lying forlornly on the floor. So, shit like this happens.
All because I’m a scatterbrained person!
Before I could ruminate any further, a sudden thought flashed across my mind. “You know what, Sensei? I’m bound to forget things and lose money. It is what it is. I shouldn’t beat myself over it.”
No doubt, I should be more vigilant in the future and prevent such things from happening ever again. On the other hand, I have the foresight to recognise that they will happen - even if rarely - because it’s an innate part of my character.
I think just making space for these inevitabilities to happen made me feel better. Next time, I just got to make sure that I ground myself and focus thoroughly when it comes to money matters.
So, that’s it. Owning my costly flaws. It’s a bit embarrassing making my weaknesses public here, but writing this is therapeutic. I can move on with my day after publishing this. Because all good stories end on a good note:
A bad day for the ego is a good day for the soul.
Thank you for reading.
this territory is moderated
80 sats \ 1 reply \ @Athena 18 Sep
You should eat almonds. It sharpens memory.
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You are right! I should make it a habit
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Oh man. I have done that before. That's a crappy feeling. I am super scatter brained. I really have to present and single focused when I move. Or else I lose and drop everything everywhere. The plus side is when I can focus I can be super productive.
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Yes, being fully present in the moment is a skill I need to learn
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It's challenging and I don't think we can ever be perfect. Just do our best.
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Turn that vulnerability into an opportunity for growth!
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Yes I will. Thank you!
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We are imperfect beings. Because we are acting beings, we're bound to make errors. And, the beautiful thing is, we learn from our mistakes and correct our flaws.
This is the lesson: "I think just making space for these inevitabilities to happen made me feel better."
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Thanks for picking up the line that resonates with you haha
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Things that happen to everyone. Specially when our attention is not focused. All material things can be replaced, though you get angry at the beginning.
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That’s true! Money can be replaced. Thanks for commenting
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my mum did this once, except is was a lot more money and 4 years later she still feels terrible about it.
we do so much stuff on auto pilot that sometimes even the smallest breaks to a familiar routine or pattern, can throw everything off
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Thanks for your second paragraph. I find it really comforting!
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I haven't had earbuds since I left them in our old car, when we traded it in for a new one. All the paperwork (and money!) involved had me distracted and there were other higher priorities to take care of, so the ear buds got left in the driver's side cup holder.
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So how have you been surviving all this while?
Thanks for sharing
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I'm forced to be aware of the world around me.
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How did your wife take it when you told her? Usually that is the second coming that hurts more than the first initial shock.
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Are you crazy? Of course I won’t tell her. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her
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haha how did I know you wouldnt tell her?
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It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed and make mistakes when you have a lot on your mind. We all have moments when our attention wanders and we forget important things. Plus, it's great to be able to see the positive side and not beat ourselves up for the mistakes we make. Self-compassion is key to maintaining good mental health. We are all people and making mistakes is part of life. What matters is how we react and recover from them
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