I pay close attention to other individuals' mistakes because I actively learn from such mistakes. But is this ever enough? Over the years, I've heard how people make painful blunders that cost them a fortune and those who make very minute but significant blunders. Of course, I never wished this upon myself but after years of carefully assessing online transactions and ensuring that I was in the right state of mind before carrying out any transaction, I made two different blunders on two different days, in the same week. I was certainly on a roll.
This evening, a friend of mine helped me carry out a very important online task without requesting for any form of payment. In a bid to show appreciation, I requested for the phone number he uses for airtime, which he gave after a lot of back and forth.
Remember when I mentioned that I try to always carry out transactions with a sane mind? My head was a mess that evening so it's safe to say my mind was far from sane. I had a lot going on but on the top of that list was food. It was way past my dinner time and I needed to get to the market as soon as possible to grab some supplies for dinner.
Inwardly, I accepted that I may make a blunder so I opted to walk to the Point of Sale (POS) operator to do my bidding instead. On reaching his stand, my attention was drawn by a friend, we did some catching up and it turns out, she was headed in my direction so, I ditched the POS operator and embarked on this joy ride with the friend. While on the walk, I found myself pressing buttons on my bank app and in a few seconds, the transaction went through. Once I saw this, I turned off my phone and gave this friend my full attention.
Once I parted ways with the friend and returned home, I unlocked my mobile device only to see a message “Your airtime balance has been topped-up. Dial *yiddy yadda# to get extra talk time”. I remember yelling but immediately covering my mouth with my hand. What was I going to use such an amount of airtime for?! I rarely make calls and this airtime cannot be transferred.
This particular blunder was painful because I had reached my limits for expenses that day but I had to send another airtime with a more focused mind because I'm not one to go back on my words.
Did I finally make dinner that evening, yes of course. Food is very important. And have I still used up the airtime I mistakenly sent to myself? No. It is going to be a long one.
Before now, we had to buy airtime printed on paper and this was okay (if we ignore the fact that I misplaced some of the papers a few times) . However, the digital era has made purchasing data and airtime very seamless and easy. In a matter of seconds, one's phone is recharged and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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