Have you ever wondered about the subject of the title? Have you assumed too much without realizing it? This article shows you an example and how you can be cautious next time.

I remember getting up in the morning and doing the daily routine of housework and rituals that included saying prayers and checking emails. I remember going to the nearby bank to pay the phone bill and to the neighboring supermarket to buy bread for Mom, who would be coming home that night after a fortnight.

I put a token on my brother’s door, saying: Order two packets of mixed fried rice, spicy shrimp, and mixed veggies that you normally buy from the Boomers and for yourself if you’d like. I further said that the order should arrive home by 8pm, even though Mom was destined to come home after midnight.

I remember making boiled rice, mashed potatoes, and salad for lunch. My brother was having dinner with one or more of his friends. So I was alone.

I made a phone call to a man reminding him of his truck to take my mother home. I didn’t find it on the first call, but on the second. I asked for the cell phone and the driver’s name and put the information on Facebook so Mom could easily get it.

I boiled water in a large pot, which will serve to drink in the family. Then around 5pm, I called my brother, who was still out, if he had placed the order. He said that every time he placed the order, they would be home in a few minutes. On a hunch, I wondered if the Boomers would be open at 8pm and I said: Order now. The restaurant may not be open at 8pm.

I went to the evening prayers and soon after, the delivery man rang the bell. Said it cost Tk506. He didn’t have Tk6 and I introduced him to Tk510 and asked him if he could give me TK4. He could only give Tk2 and he had to be satisfied with that.

Meanwhile, the pot of water was completely boiling and when the water level had dropped below a certain mark, I turned off the stove.

Then I started cleaning the kitchen. I left one of the food packages I had eaten for dinner in the trash around 8pm. The other packet had lost its heat for another hour. So I kept it in the fridge, since Mom would be coming home much later.

Then the doorbell rang again and this time it was my brother.

I carefully cleaned the table and put the finishing touch on the kitchen and dumped all the trash that had already accumulated down the landfill. By now it was ten o’clock at night. I had to stay awake for more than two hours.

I played with my laptop and logged on to Facebook and saw some of the short messages mom left me and was sorry I didn’t see them sooner and now it was almost time for her to get home.

I realized that he had been very busy all day. I stretched out my legs on the bed and rested my head on the pillow. But I was feeling excited Mom would be home!

At 11:10 pm, my phone rang, who do you think it was? Yes, it was Mom calling me. He said he would be coming home soon and there was nothing to worry about.

I kept my phone by my side. I thought about when would be a good time to call him back so he would be in the van with his luggage on the way home. I rigged it to be around 12.30am.

Guess what there was a doorbell at 12:15. And it was mom! After the driver brought her carry-on and luggage, she sat in my room for a chat. It turned into a long talk and hours passed before I told him to eat and cool off.

I went to shower and went back to my room unable to stay awake any longer. In the morning I couldn’t wake up and write the book I was writing. I slept and slept. It was at this point that I realized that I took on too much the day before. I worked constantly and also chatted with mom for long hours, which is why I couldn’t keep to the schedule this morning. Next time he intended to be more careful.

I’ll cut down on some of my chores the day Mom comes home. I will have minimal work to do on days like this. I will reduce the length of the talk, if applicable. I will retire to bed as soon as possible. Then I’ll make sure I stick to the schedule and won’t have to sleep tired until the wee hours of the morning.

Actually, really speaking, I had taken too much of myself. Errors like this can be fixed after the first experience in the ways I mentioned above.