7 Is Not 87!…

Today was one of those days. Sometimes, I  believe that these things happen to me so I can learn valuable life lessons and subsequently share them with you guys. So today, I needed to go to Sandy Springs and I had to take two buses and a train. I took the first bus, then the train and then I got to the bus top to wait for my last bus. The bus schedule on weekends are not the most reliable, so I knew that I had to wait for this bus and I did wait, but I got antsy and I got hungry and I wanted to go! I looked behind me and I saw a similar bus boarding, so I walked up to the driver and asked him if he was going my way. Now, I don’t know if it was the fact that I talk faster than normal, or because of my Nigerian accent but for some reason, though the driver did not understand me, he nodded his head yes to all the questions I was asking him so I assumed that he understood me and I got on the bus and took my seat.

When I got on the bus though I had this nagging feeling that I was on the wrong bus. I couldn’t shake the feeling but I ignored it because I convinced myself that the bus was headed to the city I was going to and I thought it would be alright so I sat down. While I was waiting for the bus to board, I saw bus 87, the bus I was supposed to take pull up. I knew I was supposed to come down and take the right bus, but it was still empty and bus 7, the bus I was in was full and about to go so I sat back, ignored the voice of reason and left with bus 7.

As soon as the bus took off, I knew without a shadow of doubt that I had taken the wrong bus, in fact while I was staring out the window looking for familiar landmarks, I saw bus 87 drive past us and I felt utterly stupid. Long story short this bus took me to the other side of town and thirty eight stops and almost two hours later, I found myself back at square one, back to the train station. So I had to take the train again to get to Dunwoody so that I could take the bus 87 that I was supposed to take in the first place! Imagine my frustration. So I had to tuck my tail between my legs, eat some imaginary humble pie and patiently wait for my bus so I could be on my way and finally I made it to sandy springs! The journey that was supposed to take me an hour and half ended up taking almost four hours all because I got impatient and took the wrong bus.

I am sure that the lesson in my mistake is pretty clear. Shortcuts aren’t always the best. It pays to stay the course and follow the due process in every situation we find ourselves in. Cutting corners never pays anyone. Most times, the consequences for cutting corners are so bad that we will end up regretting why on earth we didn’t just take the high road and do it right the first time. In my case I had to go all the way back to the train station, to the point where I made the mistake in the first place so I could fix it, imagine having to do that in real life; having to suffer through a painful divorce because you rushed into a marriage you know was never meant to be, or having to lose your job for making a decision you had no business making, it could be anything. Always listen to that voice in your head that cautions you just before you do something stupid, nine times out of ten I have gotten into trouble because I ignored that voice. Some mistakes are avoidable and there really isn’t any point in making them, learn from me…

“If you take shortcuts, you get cut short.” – Gary Busey