The other counter always looks faster, or at least, that’s what I thought the day I stood in line at a bank for hours.
One afternoon I had a complain to make in a Nigerian bank (unauthorized deduction). I got in to the bank and found that the queue was unbelievably long. It looked like everyone decided to have a meeting with Customer service that day, and I had already taken the day off from my office so I had to make sure I solved that problem. I joined one of the long lines, hoping to be done quickly.
As soon as it started to look like we were making progress, an older woman from another line slipped right in front of me. If it had been someone else (maybe younger or at least, as young as I am), I might have protested, but her age made me hold my tongue.
The counter I was in slowed down. In fact, the staff attending to us suddenly decided to go on break because she was overwhelmed of the crowd she needed to attend to. Meanwhile, the line the old lady abandoned started to move faster, like magic.
Without wasting time, she switched back and looked around like she was innocent of what she was doing. I stood there, silent, watching her bounce between counters as if she had a secret pass. Everyone else watched too, but nobody said a word.
At the end of the day, I walked away from the bank tired, annoyed, but satisfied because I did what I came for. Guess who hadn’t yet been attended to; the woman. I felt like giving an evil smile as I walked out in victory but I didn’t.
On my way home, I kept thinking about how life is often like that. We often tend to think that the other counter, the other lane, the other opportunity will be faster, easier, or better. But it doesn’t always work out that way.
Sometimes, the smartest move is simply staying where you are, and letting the process unfold.
No matter how unpredictable life feels, trying to cut corners or rush the process doesn’t guarantee results. The other counter might look faster, but it isn’t always what it seems.