Everyone is capable of making mistakes as we all have the capacity for error. No one is perfect and to err is human. Doctors usually triple check that the right procedure is being performed before they begin a surgery, as they don’t want to be sued for cutting off the wrong leg. People often regret their mistakes and, in the song, ‘My Way’, Frank Sinatra sings, “Regrets, I’ve had a few”, but people must learn to live with their mistakes. All of us should be comfortable making mistakes, admitting them and sharing them because that creates a healthy mental attitude, allowing us to be more accepting of our own humanity and this should make us feel much more at ease with each other.
Stephanie asked us to write about a mistake that we made, and the one that I am going to discuss taught me a lesson to never try and help a person that doesn’t ask for your help. These two girls that I hung out with in North Carolina, Chicana and Joanna were always coming up with fun things for us to do. I was a bit older than both of them, but they both enjoyed drinking as much as I did. This motel in town was hosting a New Year’s party and they talked me into going with them and we rented a room there for the night, so none of us would have to be drinking and driving. I made 4 trays of jello shots, orange for rum, green for Tequila, Lemon for Vodka and cherry for gin. We had a party in our room before the motel party started and a lot of people came in that they knew and I didn’t.
It was a dance party at the motel in a ballroom with a DJ and I really didn’t like the music much because most of it was rap, but since Chicana and Joanna were there, I was happy. I saw this fight break out in the lobby and I was standing next to the motel clerk when he called the police. One of the guys that was fighting was named King and he was in our room before the ballroom opened up, so I assumed that he was friendly and I told him that he should leave before the cops got here, or otherwise he might get arrested. He didn’t like what I told him and he said, “You don’t tell me nothing” and then he punched me in my right eye. I went down, because I wasn’t expecting him to punch me for trying to help him out and I ended up with a black eye that lasted for weeks.
Written for Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie Tale Weaver – Mistakes – hosted by Stephanie Colpron of Word Adventures.