I had an errand to run, dropping off some clothes at Sunshine Laundry, my go-to spot for its quality service and convenient hours. The parking attendants guided me to an open space, and I quickly went inside. While handing over the laundry, nature suddenly called. I had been drinking plenty of water and had not realised the urgency until the pressure hit.

With no restroom in sight, I rushed across the street to Flamingo Restaurant, knowing exactly where their restrooms were. Climbing the narrow fire-escape-style staircase was no easy task under such circumstances. When I finally reached the restroom, I found both the men’s and women’s toilets occupied. Minutes of agony passed before the men’s restroom became available, and I dashed in to relieve myself.

Feeling much better, I returned to Sunshine Laundry to pay and schedule my pickup. But another unpleasant surprise awaited me. A car was parked directly behind mine, blocking my exit. I confronted the three parking attendants, who informed me that the owner had gone to Hyatt Regency for a wedding.

I was alarmed and annoyed. It could take two to three hours for someone at a wedding to return. One of the attendants rushed to Hyatt to find the car owner, while another tried to justify the inconvenience, telling me the owner was a famous person, a completely irrelevant detail that only made my frustration worse.

Finally, one of the parking attendants pointed towards Hyatt Regency as the blocking driver appeared. To my surprise, it was a famous Ethiopian movie star, someone I admired. I had even taken a selfie with him at the Hilton Hotel about a year ago. He was now with his wife and two children, carrying a toddler in his arms while she followed with another child.

Seeing him instantly transformed my frustration into joy. I greeted him warmly, kissed the tiny hands of his toddler, and forgot my complaint entirely. Instead, I reminded him of our previous encounter at Hilton, though he only vaguely remembered. Understandable, given the number of fans he meets. As he drove away, we waved goodbye, leaving the parking attendants stunned by my sudden shift from agitation to delight.

I pulled out my phone and showed them the photo from a year ago, both of us smiling, with his arm resting on my shoulder. Still in a good mood, I tipped them generously, despite their failure to prevent my car from being blocked.

Their version of the story was that the actor had gone to Hyatt to pick up his wife and kids, but a drunken pedestrian caused a delay. In the chaos, the attendants had improvised a temporary solution, parking his car behind mine. Seeing me cross to Flamingo, they assumed I was staying for a meal and would not return soon.

I could not help but think, had I escalated the situation in anger, I would have regretted it. Like a mirage in the desert or the illusion of water on a hot asphalt road, reality often differs from the first impression. Empathy and patience help people see the other side of the story before jumping to conclusions.

The world is filled with misunderstandings, suspicion, and conflict, often caused by hasty judgments and unchecked prejudices. In 1969, El Salvador and Honduras went to war for 100 hours over riots sparked by a World Cup qualifying match. Like a wildfire ignited by a single spark, a small misunderstanding can lead to irreversible damage.

This is why I oppose capital punishment, it leaves no room for reversal if new evidence proves the accused innocent. Time and again, people realise their assumptions were wrong, only to take a complete 180-degree turn when they see things from a different perspective.

An Amharic poem by the renowned writer Kebede Michael in his book "Teretina Misale" (Fables and Idioms) tells the story of a little mouse narrating an escapade to her mother. The young mouse describes venturing out of her hole into the open world, encountering two animals.

One was quiet, with fluffy fur, green eyes, and a sleepy, relaxed demeanour. The other was noisy, with a squeaky voice, an ugly beak, and flapping wings that shed feathers. Instinctively, she was drawn to the gentle-looking one but was terrified by the monstrous, loud bird.

After listening patiently, her mother warned her: the gentle one was a cat, their greatest enemy, while the ugly, noisy one was a harmless rooster. The moral of the story is that appearances can be deceiving. Misconceptions, biases, and unfounded worldviews can distort reality and lead to costly mistakes.