Wait, No, Come Back...!

"Hi, I'm Joanne, it's nice to meet you," the woman says, stretching her arm over the desk and smiling warmly at me.

"Oh, so nice to meet you!" I say, shaking her hand and beaming back. A moment of hesitation--do I give her my name? I'm only working at this office for today. Does she even need to know? She won't remember--it'd be a burden on her brain. But wait, it'd be polite of me to say. I should say. But should I?

My mouth hangs slightly ajar as we shake hands. My mind is frozen. I don't say anything. A flicker of something crosses her face and she nods, still smiling, and walks away. As soon as she's gone, I know I've made a mistake.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" I mutter to myself, knocking my forehead with the heel of my hand. I should've introduced myself. I knew it. Who cares if I'm only here for 7 hours of my life? I should've done it. 

I'm sure you know the feeling--that sinking wave of regret that washes over you the second you've made a mistake. Big or small, it's not a happy thing to feel. You just want to knock yourself over the head--because it would've been so easy to have prevented it! If only you were perfectly able to navigate every situation...

But alas, like me, you're only human. You're going to make mistakes. And so, even though we might sometimes forget to give our names to the Joannes in our lives, we have to learn to forgive ourselves. Take responsibility, yes, but also take it easy. Life goes on.

(Plus, she probably would've forgotten it immediately anyways.)

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