# Feeling Dumb

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2025-07-18

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I got out of the cab at the Budapest airport.

I’d had a pleasant ride and laughed a bit, via the language barrier, with the driver.

He seemed nice enough.

It had been a long day. Very long.

I handed him my credit card, paid, and he drove off.

Seconds later, a text comes in from the bank asking if I charged $733 for a taxi ride.

Ugh.

After all these years, I should know better.

A rookie mistake.

My first thought was to beat myself up, but I took a deep breath and said, “ok, this is just the next challenge in the game. I’ll get it resolved.”

And I will.

It stung for a while (and it still lingers a bit now, the day after), but instead of being completely pissed for a long time, I felt sad and calm.

Sad that there are people in the world like the cab driver.

Calm because, in the midst of the storm, I have an opportunity to practice tranquility.

The challenges aren’t the disruptors to life. They are part of the game.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/feeling-dumb)*