Minor Detail #15
Common sense is not one of my strongest suits.
I’m a big believer in multiple intelligences and that one intelligence is not necessarily better than the other. While I think I’m slightly gifted in some aspects, I’ve always wondered where the hell I was when The Maker showered common sense and street smarts to the world. It appears I possess neither; and either, I think, would make me an infinitely better individual.
I think it’s easy to rag on people who are slow, dense, or gullible. As my good friend Joan loves to blurt out with unadulterated exasperation, “COMMON SENSE IS NOT SO COMMON!” Though, personally, I think it would make me quite the hypocrite to drop such a statement. After all, who am I to demand of common sense from others when I myself am slightly lacking in that department?
Let’s run down some of my shining moments:
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One of my earliest memories of my common sense deficiency dates back to 1990 or 1991. I was riding a bike with my dad and, apparently, I thought it was the perfect moment to take a nap. Next thing I knew my foot had gotten caught in the bicycle wheel. I don’t remember if we went to a clinic to dress my bleeding ankle but I recall sitting on the pavement, crying over this injury. My dad passed me a bottle of Sprite and said it would numb the pain. I believed him and drank away.
* * *
I learned how to use the stove when I was 8. I had just finished cooking a batch of potato fries when I grabbed the handle of the still heated frying pan — without a potholder. I don’t know but my reflex told me to pass the hot pan to my cousin, who, quite foolishly, accepted it with bare hands too! Almost instantly, he dropped it on the kitchen floor. Looking back at this mishap makes me wonder if this lack of common sense runs in the blood.
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It was my first time ever to tour Perth City on my own. But before proceeding with my sightseeing, I decided to buy my bus return ticket from a vending machine. Wrong move. The machine gave me an automated bus ticket that was going to expire in three hours! But how was I to know? This was supposed to be my day to leisurely explore the city but thanks to this automated ticket purchase, I was forced to cram my itinerary (actually, I didn’t really have one) in three hours. If I had more common sense, I would have first inquired how long before these automated tickets expired. Or better yet, I could have easily bought another ticket later in the day just so I wouldn’t need to rush my city excursion. After all, it isn’t every day that I find myself in Perth. Well, I did make it to my scheduled trip so points for managing my time well. During the ride, however, I realized that I had actually purchased the wrong bus ticket.
* * *
My friends and I had just gone on a boat ride in Sta. Mercedes, Maragondon, Cavite. As we were docking on the shore, all I could think of was the best way to get out of the boat without getting my camera wet. My winning method? Hold up the camera as high as possible then leap into the water. Clearly, I had failed to consider that this would literally make a splash so I ended up soaked from the waist down (and therefore had to borrow a friend’s short shorts). But hey, at least my camera made it out dry.
* * *
My nature-lover friend directed my attention to a tiny bird with a black head and brownish red body. He informed me that this was the Philippine maya, which looked quite different from the ubiquitous brown mayas back at home (we were on trip in Mindanao at the time). After this educational session, I spotted a small black bird walking on the lawn of this house. “What about that bird, what’s it called?” I asked. “That,” my friend replied, “is a chicken.” For the record, I know what a chicken looks like. I just don’t encounter native chickens on a day-to-day basis, sorry.
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(More dim moments in future entries!)
Of course these are not proud moments but what can I do but just laugh them off? Like I said, I’m not particularly gifted with native wit and shrewdness but I would like to think that I do have some redeeming qualities. Maybe a high regard for orderliness? Or a keen ability to recall dates (among others)? Or a strong attention to detail? Or a laser-focus when it comes to creative ventures?
Yes, common sense may not be so common to fools like me, but I’ll be happy to embrace my brand of uncommon sense anytime.
