The Encounter with an ATM

There is this situation. You want to pay your bills and get some cash. You spot an ATM nearby. Aha, what a coincidence. It's even empty! So you saunter towards the machine, pressing the necessary buttons to execute your demands.

Then the ATM is stuck.

You bite your lower lip, trying again. It works. You breathe in relief. But somehow you press the wrong buttons. You try again. And again.

You feel panic is starting to take over. Stifling it, you manage to do a transaction. Two more to go. Two more errors. You begin to swear under your breath.

You realize that this is taking too much time. What do you do, then? You have several options.

a. Abort the transaction. Leave immediately. You can find another ATM later after you've calmed down.

b. Grit your teeth and try again, no matter how long it takes. It's an ego thing.

c. Burst into tears and ask for help.

What will you choose? I chose the option b. It took a couple of minutes (maybe more) but finally I got everything done. When I left I just realized that a bunch of people were queueing behind me. They threw nasty looks at me, the evil eye thing. I had already shielded myself so I wasn't affected. I hummed a song, walking happily. The negative vibes they sent affected themselves. People who are annoyed just loathe to see other people being happy.

Yes, that time I was feeling selfish. I have to admit, it felt great.