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The Surprising Lesson I Learned from Opening a Scooter Seat
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
— Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
Events that led to a life lesson
We were in the final stage of moving house. All that was left was to hand over the key to the landlord. To make sure I wouldn’t forget the key (I often forget things), I had kept the key under my scooter seat. The landlord had traveled hundreds of kilometers specifically for the key, so I couldn’t afford to miss that appointment.
I started two hours earlier even though it would take about 45 minutes for me to reach there (I usually prefer to be early). I decided to stop at a gas station halfway to refuel. When I reached the gas station and tried to open the scooter seat to access the fuel tank, I was shocked to find that it wouldn’t open. Stress, panic, and anxiety hit me from all sides (which is usually how I react when something negative happens, especially when time is involved). The stress and panic weren’t about the seat not opening but about the house keys being stuck under the seat. The only option at that point was to go to a two-wheeler repair shop.

