There are moments in our lives that we cannot forget in a hurry because, whether good or bad, they have mattered or will still matter in our lives. These moments mean different things to different people. For football lovers, it could be the moment their team won a trophy they had been dreaming of for a long time, or even the moments of failure that contributed to their sit up that led to the success in winning that trophy. To students or graduates, it could be the moment they thought they had already failed in school, but a miracle that still seemed unbelievable occurred and turned everything around.
I have had many experiences of such moments, and I want to share one of them in this article.
When I was in school, SS2 to be precise, I was among those selected to represent the school in an interschool science competition that featured mathematics, chemistry, and physics in the examination. As the custom has always been, the goal was to represent the school and beat other schools, but the students also got awarded individual prizes for their academic excellence. However, along the line, my name was removed and replaced with another student. Before then, I had already been informed and had told my parents about it, and they were very proud.
When my dad heard about the withdrawal, he did not say much, he only told me to let it go. I was bitter because I expected him to fight for me by at least going to the school to question the organizers about their decision. My dad did not.
When the day of the competition came, they went without me. I felt really bad that day for missing out. They were supposed to return later in the day when we had already closed, so we were not expecting to see them or hear the results of the competition that same day. Unfortunately, an unexpected event occurred. On their way back, an accident happened, and two students and three teachers sustained injuries and were admitted to the hospital that evening. That was how we got to know they had returned, as the news spread everywhere. My school did not win as well.
I am not being negative, but what if I had gone along and the situation had turned out to be more severe, such as the death of students, and I was involved? Or even if I had to pass through the pain of those injuries?
I have come to learn that when things do not work out according to my expectations, I should not force them. Instead, I should let life take its course.