Have You Ever Felt Stupid and Great At The Same Time

This is London.

And the sky was on fire, figuratively, not literally…

It was August 2022, I went to Victoria, London for my Toastmasters meeting. As it turned out, it was going to be an online session, rather than an in person one. I never missed the order of the meetings before and I felt very stupid. I sent messages to a few friends and told them how stupid I felt. I even called a friend from our club to tell her about it.

We were going to have a vocal variety workshop and I wanted to attend it very much. I did not want to miss it. If I were to take the underground, I would be cut and unable to join the workshop as I wanted. Therefore, instead of taking the Victoria line, I decided to talk to the Westminster tube station and take the Jubilee Line. This way, I would be able to keep following the workshop.

Changing Direction

I set out on my way to Westminster station. When I got closer, I realised that the evening sky looked to be on fire Not a literal one but quite close to that. It was a cloudy day but with the help of some wind, the sun was pushing them away to show its glory for the final moments of the day. I first saw the BigBen from afar. I started to take some photos with my phone. By this time, the workshop was already on and I was listening to it with the Zoom app on my phone.

When I got closer to Westminster, it became even more beautiful. The workshop was still going on. And I was on Zoom taking part. At the same time, I was taking amazing photosoftheday, of the sunset. I reached Westminster tube station but didn’t get in. The fiery sky was still on and I walked towards Westminster Bridge. I continued to take more shots and enjoy one of the most beautiful sceneries London has offered me so far.

It was a rare sight and I did not want to miss it. So, I decided to cross the Westminster Bridge and take the tube from Waterloo station. All the while I enjoyed sunset photography and the nice walk.

Feeling stupid first, then feeling great

An evening of mixed feelings I had on that evening. First, I felt very stupid because of missing the date of the meeting. Then I realised that, I could take advantage of this situation and be in the moment. That was a game changer for me. The evening turned out to be an incredible one. Or maybe I made it better. Who knows?

Just like life. It is just about our perspective. Nothing else. Instead of beating myself hard and focusing on my mistake, I chose to enjoy the moment and the solution. The result was quite extraordinary. If it were not for my mistake of missing the date of the in person meeting, I would not have had the chance to experience and see that beautiful sunset.