Have you ever been so focused… that you forgot to notice the world around you? 👀

I'm embarrassed. Not long ago, I was at a public speaking competition similar to this one and I was terrified along with my good friend Asia. Now, Asia and I were the only two girls representing our school in the competition. So, girls being girls, we went to laboratory together. Now, we were both extremely nervous, reciting our speeches in whispers. And as we were walking to the toilet, we continued reciting our speeches, walking into the first room we saw. After doing my business, I washed my hands, still reciting my speech. That's when I noticed a figure staring at me. A person with short hair and a muscular build, not one you'd expect from a girl, but I didn't want to assume. That's when I noticed the urinals. I call out Asia. She's standing at the doorway. Sophia, this is a boy's toilet. I'm clearly not a boy. How many of you have experienced this before? Please raise your hand. Thank you. I feel slightly better about myself. Now, the reason Asia and I went into the boy's toilet was because we were so engrossed in our speeches, trying to memorize and concentrate that we failed to look at the world around us. Then, let me tell you another story similar to this one. It was around the examination season. I was half-hazardly looking through my flashcards, submitting assignment after assignment, trying to remember everything. My mother had taken me out to eat, trying to wind me down. We went to a restaurant. She went to the lavatory. I hope right one. And I was looking at my phone, texting, and there was a blind couple seated next to me. I heard the wife speak. Oh, darling, there's flowers here. Flowers? How lovely. I wonder what species they are. I turned to look over at them. Huh? Flowers. I wonder why we didn't get any. Then I looked over at my table and there they were. Beautiful orchids in a an onate vast. The blind couple had something that I didn't. Even without sight, they could still see the beauty of the world around them. I was more blind than the blind. I failed to see the flowers that were situated right in front of me. I didn't realize that there was beauty all around me and I was under the false impression that I had less than them not having the flowers when in actual fact they were right there on my table.