REFLECTION
It was a very tiring day. I saw the destruction of some through my own personal experience, and due to technology and science, the meaning of failure came to mind.
Failure, in my opinion, is just another opportunity to succeed at our best. The journey of learning never ends. Failure isn’t defeat unless we allow it to define us. Every situation in life comes to teach us something. It is up to each one to look for the question being asked or the answer being given. When the question or answer is ascertained, we can go forward with enlightenment in achieving our goal or handling a situation.
Understanding the difficulties life throws at you when you are consumed with matters that require your attention daily, especially when working for others, is challenging. Unless time is taken to relax and reflect, putting the pieces together is like being mentally confused about finding your way out or how to solve the issue.
When we distance ourselves from an issue, understanding comes. Sometimes, the difficulties others cause in our lives are the only way they know how to communicate. Is it out of love, hate, or confusion? This is the question we must ask ourselves when facing a problem; most of the time, the answer is found.
The question, “Is it me?” is irrelevant. Of course, it is you. Now, whatever issues are being filtered within their thoughts, your interruption, presence, or question is a twist in mental navigation that the person would rather avoid, as their trend of thought is to accomplish a goal of their own or one of the force’s intentions.
In the world we live in today, everyone wants to be seen more than those wanting to be heard. The fact that they want to be seen is what needs to be kept in mind so as not to embarrass oneself in public by reacting to their actions, whatever that may be. If a reaction is required, do so with respect that shows your own.
I want to give you an idea of the day that was so mentally tiring.
I had an exam scheduled for a specific time. I woke up on time to take the transit into an area I was not familiar with. Exiting the building and heading towards the main street, I first noticed a fellow with a camera. I am very shy and hate drawing attention to myself. Again, the world today doesn’t ask if they can take a picture; they take one anyway to use as they please and hope not to be caught. I quickly walked past, giving the gentleman a good morning smile. When I got to the main street, the bus arrived. I boarded, tapped my card, and was driven to the subway station to catch a train.
Finally, in the area, I asked for directions. I repeated the bus number and was told that it was correct. After letting the driver know where I was going, I hopped onto the bus with the number given.
Minutes later, he pulled away and stopped to chat with a co-worker. Everyone on the bus was then told to take the other. However, before getting off, I inquired if the other driver was going my way. “Yes, he is.” I thanked him and boarded the other bus. In about ten minutes, I thought he pulled away from the station on the way to my destination. When I finally got up to ask how long I would be at my destination, I was told I was on the wrong bus. After a briefing about my disappointment, I exited with instructions. Fortunately, I returned to ask the young man sitting in the bus shed if he could call a cab. After briefly explaining my situation, I was told a bus would arrive shortly and take me to my destination. The bus came, we got in, and I was driven to the wrong campus.
What was supposed to be a peaceful day, with the anticipation of completing my exam and finally relaxing, turned into a series of unexpected challenges and frustrations.
A bus was seen waiting at the stop when I got out of the building, so I began to run, only to find out the driver was not there. I took out my phone and checked the map’s direction; it would take me about 40 mins. Time was not going to be on my side. So, the student who came onto the bus earlier, I asked if he had the Uber app on his phone so he could call me a cab. As he was about to do so, the bus driver arrived. In a panic, I asked if she could give me just one minute after briefly explaining my situation. “No problem, go ahead.” I rushed back to the young man and told him to tell the driver where I’d be standing. “It will be twelve dollars and change,” he said.
“No problem,” I responded as I rushed to get off the bus so as not to inconvenience the driver. “Thank you,” I said, now off the bus as she closed the door and pulled off.
I am standing there waiting in a panic, sweat running down my face. “Darn wig, I am so hot,” I echoed within thought. “I should have had my hair done.” The phone started to ring. It was the cab driver who did not see me. I waved my hand as I spoke to him on a second call. I got into the cab and told him where I wanted to go. I briefly explained my situation and the importance of getting to the location on time.
The phone started to ring. “Hello,” I answered.
“This is….” He gave his name and reminded me about the cost, letting me know he paid and how to get the funds to him.
“I am so sorry. Thank you so much. I was thinking that I would be paying the cab driver instead. I am so sorry.”
“No problem. I’ll send you the information.”
“Really, I am sorry, and thank you so much.”
In trying to get the information put into my bank’s request, I had a problem. My mind was now in chaos, and my thoughts were another. “What time do you have?” I asked, then responded, “Could you please hurry? That will be good if I arrive at least five minutes before the time.” While I tried to key in the information again, I was still experiencing a problem. At this point, I was frustrated and wanted to give up. The driver stopped the cab.
“We are here, thank you.” I took five dollars from my pants pocket, got out of the cab, and began to walk and run into the building. I didn’t know where I was going, so I stopped to ask the girl at the desk, who pointed as she spoke about where I needed to go.
In a state of panic, I began to walk and run. I made one turn and then another, only to find the door closed. My Heart sank. I moved to another open door, only to find the room filled with seated students. “I am so sorry,” I said as I walked in, feeling nervous, sweating, and completely out of breath.
“May I have your ID?” she asked.
“Sure!” I fished it out of my pants pocket and handed it to her. After filling out the information on the form, I was instructed where to put my belongings. She assisted me in filling out the top sheet I needed to hand in. I thanked her and walked briskly towards the back of the room, put down my backpack, and returned to where she was. I took my seat, feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. My body was trembling, and so were my hands when I went to pick up the pencil. “I am so nervous.”
“I know,” she said. “Relax, breathe in and out. You will be fine.”
It was easy for her to say, but what I was experiencing was far from being mentally relaxed. Moments into the exam, I was interrupted as I read the question for understanding. I looked up at the teacher, a bit angry, as I was honestly trying to calm my thoughts.
“You need to be quiet,” she whispers.
I nodded in agreement with the thought. Are you kidding me? It was as if the force had opened her ear channel wider for sounds. It never ends everywhere I go. At that moment, it was as if a window to my mind had just opened, and all the information I had stored from studying night and day had gone with the wind.
I looked down at the paper in front of me, and the last thing I needed was to be reading someone else’s story to give them an answer. I wanted to leave the room, especially when my calculator was not giving me what I was looking for. Still, some unknown force kept me seated as I read each question, forcing my mind to recall what I had studied. As the teacher called attention to the time remaining, I became restless, not knowing if I’d be able to finish all the questions. “Close your eyes and pick an answer,” I recall the coach saying during one of my pre-study classes; the action I took when the teacher announced, “You have two more minutes.”
One part was over.
I returned to the room, and the students were seated before me. Again, I was seen as the one late when I arrived this time, five minutes before the start. Once again, I was asked for my ID. I knew it was placed in my pant pocket, but I would not find my ID until the end of class, doing another search through the cards in my pockets.
“I knew you had it; that’s why I told you not to bother. Just take a seat.”
This was the end of my day. I was hungry, having not eaten all day, mentally drained from navigating my thoughts, and aware that my return home would not be peaceful.
I would like to conclude by saying the willingness to learn is a choice we are all given. Each day provides us with signs or shows us situations of others; take from what is seen and shown, and inculcate the good points into your lives for advancement. The ability to learn is a skill, wrote Brian Herbert. Indeed, it is.
Therefore, don’t give up on yourself; nurture your mind with others’ knowledge through their experiences. The good book states that knowledge is for protection. The more we learn, the better we handle situations and wicked people. Besides, man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness. –James 1:20.
Therefore, as you move forward, remember each letter in the word failure, which will guide your reaction to actions.
F— FACTS needed to be recalled that must be,
A— ADDED to memory. So, take a bit of time to meditate.
I— INFORMATION, is key, we need to have it and to retain.
L— LEARNING any new skill takes time for…
U— UNDERSTANDING how to navigate life’s unforeseen circumstances, composed of twists and turns we must go through to get to our destination. And when we become overwhelmed by a situation,
R— REMEMBER, relax by breathing in and out for calm and clarity when handling each twist and turn. For…
E— EACH turn on the road travel will leave experiences that add to our happiness.
Further, failure is another opportunity to move forward from past defeats. Mastering any task requires time, dedication, and focus; we must remember this. Rome was not built in a day, nor were dreams realized overnight.
Better The End 