Mistakes to Avoid

Do you like to avoid pain? You can accomplish this by avoiding the mistakes that have been made by me and others.

Do not spend more than fifteen or twenty minutes in a public restroom. I spent about an hour in a fast-food restaurant restroom nearly fifteen years ago. A manager threatened to call the police.

If you eat out, leave the restaurant after you finish eating. One time I stayed at a fast-food restaurant watching the lobby television after I finished eating. The restaurant manager told me that I could not stick around after eating. The next time I ate there, he told me, “You are welcome to come in and order whatever you like, but if you sit down to eat, I will call the police and have you arrested for trespassing.”

I was evicted from a mall on a Sunday nine years ago. My intention was to buy a pair of gym shoes and leave to go to my school library. An unfortunate event resulted in a plan change. I lost my wallet and the ninety dollars that were in it as a result of the wallet slipping out of my shallow back pocket while I rode the bus to the mall. I decided to spend the whole day at the mall because I did not want to walk the long distance to school before walking all the way home. I was evicted for a day because I spent too much time in the restroom and too much time in the food court without eating. If you must spend hours at a mall, you should browse the mall or use most of the time to do something constructive such as reading or studying at the mall’s bus stop shelter.

Carry wallets and keys securely. If you decide to carry them on you, carry them in a deep back pocket or front pocket. I have lost wallets and keys by carrying them in a side pocket or shallow back pocket.

Do not carry all of your money inside your wallet or purse. Never carry your birth certificate, social security card, checks or money orders inside your wallet or purse.

You must move on when a friend dumps you or dies. At the beginning of my junior year in high school, someone who had been my friend since the seventh grade stopped wanting to be bothered with me. I spent too much time being miserable until I met new friends a few months later. I never heard the phrase that says, “Life goes on” until a few years after I graduated from high school.

Do not call anyone too much. At one point in high school, I made a telephone call to my friend every day before he threatened me.

Never attend a job interview without knowing something about the company. Visit the company’s website. Six years ago I was interviewed by a school district for a teaching assistant position. I was one of the five applicants being considered for two available spots. I thought it was not necessary to do research on a school district. One of the two interviewers asked me, “What do you know about us?” I sat there in silence and embarrassment. I am still looking for a steady job.

Do not walk a long distance to work, especially in hot weather. Eleven years ago, I walked all the way to my audiovisual assistant job during the summer months and arrived funky. One time while a fellow worker was training me to use the audio control room, I reached over him to press a button. He got a whiff of my underarm and said, “Please don’t reach over me.” He exited the room. Toward the end of the summer, the supervisor told me that one reason my annual contract was not being renewed was that I had not learned how to use the audio control room sufficiently.

Do not expose cassette tapes to sunlight. I left a tape containing recorded songs sitting near my bedroom window, leading to its demise.

If you attend a movie, do not sit in a row where others are talking. While I saw a movie, a lot of people sitting in a row in front of me talked. A lady came back with a police officer and said, “This entire row has been talking.” He ejected the entire row.

If you are a student who has been earning perfect grades, please do not panic if you get a lower grade. If you have a child who is distraught over something, please provide counseling and constant supervision for awhile. Several years ago, a girl who was accustomed to receiving perfect grades received a lower grade and hung herself with her ceiling fan.

If a mosquito bites you, brush it off before killing it. Several years ago, a girl squashed a mosquito where it bit her. The mosquito’s saliva went deeper into her blood, causing a fatal infection.

Do not throw anything at buildings. When I was sixteen, I threw a pebble at the wall of a school while walking on the parking lot. The principal asked me, “Are you trying to break something?” I replied, “No.” Her response was, “There has been vandalism around here. Please leave before I call the police.” She walked away. I stayed on the premises, not understanding that she was calling the police. The police came and let me go with a warning.

Do not discuss hate with children. Around twenty years ago, I played with a neighborhood girl at her house. I told her that the boy across the street hated me. Her father told me, “I don’t teach my daughter to hate anyone. You must leave.”

Make a trip to the site of a job interview before the day of the interview to make sure that you can find the place. A few years ago, I arrived to a few job interviews late because I had trouble finding the place.

Do not ask for directions to a restroom at an unfamiliar place. Three years ago, I asked an employee at an unfamiliar building where the men’s restroom was. He took me to a restroom that was behind a gate that he opened. Someone else who worked there ordered me to leave.

Bus riders should try to get to a bus stop at least six minutes before the scheduled arrival time because a bus will come up to five minutes early sometimes. Many bus drivers will not stop for you away from a bus stop. Some bus drivers will yell at you for lying down on a bus seat. Do not board a bus while someone is coming off.

Do not put wet clothes or bags on your bed. This can cause a rotten stench and make your mother furious.