Solving

Today I went to get a haircut - a regular thing these days, as my hair grows quickly and I've been spending so much time outside. While awaiting the barber to become free, a man walked in speaking Spanish - a language I can speak.

He asked me, in Spanish, whether this was a place to get a haircut - I responded 'si', and then he asked me how much it cost. The cost is $45 TT, but for some reason my mind drew a blank on translating 45. The answer, of course, is 'cuarenta y cinco' - but in retrospect I noticed I made a mistake in the way I handled the situation.

You see, it became about my ability to say 45 in Spanish. And that really wasn't the problem - the problem was that he didn't know the answer to the cost. The young woman who didn't speak a word of Spanish flashed her fingers to 45 for him, and he got it.

That's how I learned Spanish, actually. So I screwed up - I began addressing my problem instead of the immediate problem that he had. It's the same issue I often complain of in others, and there it was - as plain as day, something that I did. A reminder upon introspection, and a refresher on 45.

The solutions are many. Picking the best one for the situation is important. Reminder noted.