Last weekend I was in Paris, my favorite city in the whole wide world. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon with unusual amount of sunshine, I strolled around a street market with much excitement. I found an item from a stall that cost 8 Euros. I gave the vendor a 10-Euro note and she gave me back a 2-Euro coin for my exchange (10-8=2!)
I later found out, to my sheer horror, that the 2-Euro coin was a fake (a lookalike coin from an emerging country). It was far too late for me to “claim” back my precious 2 Euros :< It took me a few minutes (4 1/2 minutes to be precise) to calm myself down and accept it as a lesson for the cost of 2 Euros.
I decided to keep that fake coin as a REMINDER that I should always check my change (100%) everywhere I go. If I am not vigilant, I can lose much more than 2 Euros. After such a resolution, I proceeded to enjoy a lovely time at a contemporary art fair, shopping and dinner for the rest of my stay in Paris. Well, I didn’t let the loss of 2 Euros “ruin” my weekend away in Paris plus it was an important lesson learned to be vigilant and an exercise for my ability to control my own emotion.