Editorial

Ready To Get Your Change?

by Jean-Baptiste Duret

Have you noticed how often we try to get prepared for the road in whatever little adventure or journey we intend to do?

I had to post a simple letter the other day, a bit heavy as there were pictures inside. I took some change with me and even some stamps in case the queue was too long, or the automatic weighing machine would behave like a black hole as it already had…
As the weather was not so shiny, I also took my raincoat just in case, I checked the address on the envelope one last time and I’m ready to go.

On my way to the post office, it wasn’t raining and I was looking at the people around: some were seemingly prepared as I was with their umbrella or their raincoat, and a few of them were only wearing their usual summer clothes.

At the post office, as I had imagined, I saw a very long queue — it is always like that of course. Oddly enough, the machine was free though; were people wary like me, did they have the same experiences I had twice? Not getting their money back, or even stamps for that matter…
Well, I had my stamps prepared, all I needed was to weigh my letter.
An inscription was blinking on the screen:

“this machine gives the change”.

Would you trust it after the black hole experiences?
Many thoughts rushed in my mind at that moment: if I want to use my credit card I’d have to buy some more stamps; but then, the price indicated for the letter is cheaper than if I use my own stamps; blah blah blah…

Curious as ever, I put the coins in. Surprisingly it worked! And I didn’t have to pay or take more than was necessary, though I was prepared to do so and maybe I was expecting it.
Now I could start my journey back with a sense of satisfaction.

Outside the post office, it was now raining. So much for satisfaction… I could wait here until it calmed down, if ever, or choose to go back home in the rain using the raincoat I was wearing.

Once again I took a look at the people around collecting data. Some, as prepared as I was, were waiting sheltered under the front porch; some were in the rain with their umbrella or their raincoat, and some of them were wearing their usual summer clothes and braving the rain,… or were they? Maybe they were living nearby and it was not such a big deal for them. I chose to go and accept that it could rain on my way, that I could handle this kind of shower even without a hood or an umbrella.

Gradually the rain dropped away and then stopped. I took my hood off and noticed that, though the “danger” was over, other people were keeping their “shields” for much longer than was necessary.

This experience gave me the opportunity to readjust some prejudices or re-scale them. Preparations are often helpful and can facilitate the process when we are living the journey itself.

Are they always necessary? Do we always need to be prepared for everything in every situation… while at times preventing what could happen?