Have You Ever Felt Stupid and Great At The Same Time

London sunset

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.

This happens to the best of us. When you feel you made a wrong choice and/or made a mistake, try to stay in the moment and observe what is really happening around you. And all the while, try to keep an open mind and try to be optimistic. I am sure the result will not be disappointing.
 
As Steve Jobs once told, “You can only connect the dots looking backwards. Not forward.” Simply because even though we try to predict what will happen, nobody can know that. We just do what we can and wish for the best.

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