Monster Under the Bed
Aligned with the theme of youthful mistakes from the last post, Stomach Bug in my Knee, here's another mishap...
In this story, I didn't fake a sickness but I almost caused a real one.
To start this story with a vague and ambiguous opening statement, we had a project in school where we took home a potato.
I am sure there was a more involved lesson with the potato before we took it home, but clearly, I did not grasp the applicability of it.
So, for me...I just had an extra potato at home that I would eventually eat once my mom cooked it, and I was okay with that. I felt that I was participating in that weeks' grocery shopping and was proud of it.
We all put our potatoes in small paper bags, and I shoved mine into my book-bag then got onto my bus.
Somewhere between putting the potato in my book-bag and sitting on the bus, I completely forgot that the potato was in my possession.
Roughly 15 minutes later when I arrived home and got off the bus, I followed my routine protocol...
Ran into my room...emptied out my bag...finished whatever homework I had...put the schoolwork back into my book-bag...shoved everything else deep underneath my bed...
Then proceeded on with my day...
4 or 5 years later, we moved.
As I was in my room, clearing out my belongings, I approached the daunting task of clearing out my bed.
I shoveled through the debris and cleared out most of everything, when I noticed something sitting in the back of my bed.
There was a crumpled up, brown paper bag, so I crawled all the way to the back to retrieve it.
As I made my way back out from under the bed, slightly afraid, I sat in the middle of the floor to figure out what was inside of this bag.
I opened the bag, looked inside, and as every reader who has made it this far in the post could probably guess...there sat the potato that I was supposed to cook and eat 4 to 5 years prior.
I was mortified.
The potato had small roots and was hard as a rock. I was impressed by the potato's fortitude; lasting all these years and maintaining most of its cosmetic appearance, but was beyond disgusted by this revelation.
I threw the potato away as quickly as I had forgotten about it years earlier, and felt that this story would never see the light of day.
Today I share this story with you and I feel liberated.
Embarrassed too...but liberated nonetheless.
It's quite amazing how quickly things can be forgotten, and I'm thankful that the potato didn't retaliate in a more vile way once I had forgotten it under my bed. I got off easy with just a few roots protruding from its skin.
Furthermore, I can take ownership in this bio-hazard that I nearly created and recognize that the lack of attention to detail could have taken a much uglier turn.
If you can't remember, write a note. If that doesn't work, write another one. Put an alarm on your phone. Ask someone if they could remind you.
Whatever you have to do to remember taking care of important things is crucial. It's better to be over-reminded than to forget...just some food for thought.
...and not potatoes, because at this point, potatoes might not be the most appealing food to think about.
I'm sorry.
Anyways, that's all I have for now...
Not proud this one, but it's real.
I made a mistake, was spared a sickness, and learned from it.
Next time I'll make sure that I properly care for the potato...
And if I forget, please remind me.
Until next time,
Long Live The People
In this story, I didn't fake a sickness but I almost caused a real one.
To start this story with a vague and ambiguous opening statement, we had a project in school where we took home a potato.
I am sure there was a more involved lesson with the potato before we took it home, but clearly, I did not grasp the applicability of it.
So, for me...I just had an extra potato at home that I would eventually eat once my mom cooked it, and I was okay with that. I felt that I was participating in that weeks' grocery shopping and was proud of it.
We all put our potatoes in small paper bags, and I shoved mine into my book-bag then got onto my bus.
Somewhere between putting the potato in my book-bag and sitting on the bus, I completely forgot that the potato was in my possession.
Roughly 15 minutes later when I arrived home and got off the bus, I followed my routine protocol...
Ran into my room...emptied out my bag...finished whatever homework I had...put the schoolwork back into my book-bag...shoved everything else deep underneath my bed...
Then proceeded on with my day...
4 or 5 years later, we moved.
As I was in my room, clearing out my belongings, I approached the daunting task of clearing out my bed.
I shoveled through the debris and cleared out most of everything, when I noticed something sitting in the back of my bed.
There was a crumpled up, brown paper bag, so I crawled all the way to the back to retrieve it.
As I made my way back out from under the bed, slightly afraid, I sat in the middle of the floor to figure out what was inside of this bag.
I opened the bag, looked inside, and as every reader who has made it this far in the post could probably guess...there sat the potato that I was supposed to cook and eat 4 to 5 years prior.
I was mortified.
The potato had small roots and was hard as a rock. I was impressed by the potato's fortitude; lasting all these years and maintaining most of its cosmetic appearance, but was beyond disgusted by this revelation.
I threw the potato away as quickly as I had forgotten about it years earlier, and felt that this story would never see the light of day.
Today I share this story with you and I feel liberated.
Embarrassed too...but liberated nonetheless.
It's quite amazing how quickly things can be forgotten, and I'm thankful that the potato didn't retaliate in a more vile way once I had forgotten it under my bed. I got off easy with just a few roots protruding from its skin.
Furthermore, I can take ownership in this bio-hazard that I nearly created and recognize that the lack of attention to detail could have taken a much uglier turn.
If you can't remember, write a note. If that doesn't work, write another one. Put an alarm on your phone. Ask someone if they could remind you.
Whatever you have to do to remember taking care of important things is crucial. It's better to be over-reminded than to forget...just some food for thought.
...and not potatoes, because at this point, potatoes might not be the most appealing food to think about.
I'm sorry.
Anyways, that's all I have for now...
Not proud this one, but it's real.
I made a mistake, was spared a sickness, and learned from it.
Next time I'll make sure that I properly care for the potato...
And if I forget, please remind me.
Until next time,
Long Live The People
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