Once Bitten, Twice Shy

As humans, sometimes, we slip up and forget things. It shows that we are human and not perfect. It happens to the best of out. Sometimes, we forget something and all we need to do is to take a deep breath and shake it off. Other times, our forgetfulness can make us end up paying expensive prices. In the same vein, just because I mentioned that it is part of being human to be forgetful doesn't mean we should not try to control ourselves if our forgetfulness has gotten out of hand. Of course, it is okay to forget things sometimes, but if it happens too frequently, you need to do something about it. There are so many methods to help you remember important things in life. One of them is to always keep a notebook. Like, a list where you write the things to do or buy for the day. That reduces the likelihood of forgetting them.

Have you ever forgotten something important and it ended up ruining your day or a project for you? How did you go about it? Did you beat yourself up as a lesson never to do that again or did you laugh it off and conclude that it is just a normal part of human life? Just like many people, I have been in this situation quite a number of times and in this post, I'll share one of them.

This happened last year. During my 200 level exams. During exams, one of the requirements to enter the exam hall is to come with your ID card (or school fees receipt) and course reg. These two documents have your name and picture on them, serving as proof that you are indeed a member of the school, and not just any person coming to write the exam for someone else. So, when you get to the exam center, the exam officers check your ID card and course reg one after the other before you are allowed into the exam hall.

I remember that day like it happened yesterday. It was my first exam of the semester. I hate it when I get destabilized before an exam, which is why I try as much as I can to minimize distractions. But I guess fate had other plans for me that day. I could have sworn that a night before that day, I put my course reg and ID car inside my small bag. The exam was scheduled for 10 am to 11 am That morning, I didn't have the time to re-check because my coursemates and I pulled an all-nighter till 9 o’clock. When we were done dressing up, we took bikes to the exam center. To worsen the case, the exam center is not close to the school, so you have to take a bike or cab to go there.

As usual. We joined the queue to enter the exam hall. It was when it got to my friend, who was in front, that I remembered to check my bag. Lo and behold, I saw just my ID card. My course reg was nowhere to be found. The previous semester, they had warned us to always come with our course regs, so I just knew no amount of begging would make them pardon me. I rushed out of the center and went back home. I ran like I'd never before. Luckily, when I got out of the gate, I got a bike to take me to and fro. I didn't even care about the prize, all I wanted was just to get home and take the course reg. Lo and behold, when I entered my room, I saw the course reg, lying helpless on the floor. I didn't know how it got there and I didn't care to know. I grabbed it and rushed out.

I got back to the exam center about 10 minutes before 11. Usually, the exam officers will not allow latecomers. They check the time written on your course reg. I was expecting them to say “your exam ends by 11 and you're just coming 10 minutes to 11.” I'd already cooked up a full list of the excuses I’d give them. Luckily, when it was my turn, they didn't check the time on my course reg. I entered the exam hall, rested a little to put myself together and proceeded to write the exam. Luckily, that incident didn't disrupt my thought process and I was able to do the exam well.

Ever since, I have never allowed that incident to repeat itself. The first thing I do on the morning of an exam is to always double check for my ID card and course reg. Once bitten, twice shy.

All images in this post are mine.

Thanks for reading.