When Daydreaming Got Me into Trouble

The other day I borrowed a book from the library and I was so engrossed I walked out and then was stopped dead in my tracks by the shrieking beep of security thingy at the exit. I automatically walked backwards, stunned into realization. I was absolutely mortified. I was even more embarrassed (if that was possible) when the guard loudly said “Excuse me miss!!”. I could feel eyes boring into me. I felt like such a criminal and apologized for forgetting to scan the darn thing. He seemed ok about it after that so, perhaps I wasn’t the first day-dreamer. Anyway I was holding the book out in my hand. Thank goodness I hadn’t been as absent-minded as to put it into my bag. Yikes. I don’t even want to think about it.

Now I know how an unintentional ‘shop-lifter’ feels. Gosh being self-absorbed in my thoughts is finally getting me into trouble. When I daydream I tend to really go into my head and the person next to me has to really try to get my attention. It’s like I’m up in Mars or something. Sometimes B complains that he already told me something, but I probably was not listening. But in my defense he tends to go on these long monologues which I assert are more like soliloquies (according to me at least) or worse, talk about technical stuff that only his guy friends would be interested in. My mum says my dad used to be in his own world just like I am – so it’s genetic!

Anyway I was comforted to read that I am not alone. Fellow Singaporean blogger Miss Ene had an encounter with her mismatched shoes. She was just distressed and had too much on her mind.

Just one of those days.

So it happens.

Anyhoo, the wonderful Miss Ene inspired me to share my embarrassing story so that someone else out there doesn’t feel alone.

About bookjunkie

Blogging about life in Singapore & recently cancer too.
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16 Responses to When Daydreaming Got Me into Trouble

  1. There’s noting wrong with being focused in a task! Look at that as one of your strong points!

  2. 365days2play says:

    Don’t worry about it. Although the whole incident may have knawed on your mind the whole day (!), you have to remind yourself that actually within 5 seconds, everyone else would have forgotten about the whole incident!
    Years ago when I was about 15, 2 friends and I went to have some ice cream at Haagen Dazs. For some reason, we all forgot to pay and left. It was pretty easy because this was an open concept Haagen Dazs. The waiter ran after us. My friend was so embarrassed she felt ill and had to go home.

    • bookjunkie says:

      Oh no…..there are moments when we forget we haven’t paid as well. Luckily we always remember in time. I sometimes wish we could pay upfront to make things easier. Totally understandable.

      But oh dear your poor friend….I feel for her. I can understand how she must have felt, because it was an innocent mistake and not your intention.

      Thanks so much for sharing this with me. Helps loads.

  3. It happens to the best of us! Thanks for sharing.

    Julie

  4. So glad to not be alone in that. I tend to forget to brush my hair (or teeth).

  5. LL says:

    I think the closest I’ve come to that is the employee forgetting to take off the security alarm. The most notable moment being when my friend told me she went back to the store to get the tag off, and the employee didn’t even ask for her receipt; what if she’d stolen it?

    But don’t worry about the incident, I’m sure it will happen to everyone soon enough. No one likes setting off an alarm, and it’s just ingrained in our being to feel bad about it. A cop pulled out his siren on me and I got off the lane with the same feeling of “being sent to the principle’s office”. Instead he just wanted to pass me, ugh. 🙂

    • bookjunkie says:

      Thanks for sharing the cop story…yikes…that sounds scary. It’s like even though we’ve done nothing wrong somehow sirens and alarms make us think of all those movies where the innocent go to jail.

  6. missene says:

    Well, to add on to my list of embarrassing moments, I wore my name tag on the train during rush hour. Only realised when the boy asked me why I was flashing my name to the entire world. Sheesh.

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