Mumnesia

Had my first case of "mumnesia" yesterday.

Mumnesia = Mum's Amnesia.

Brought Sophie to polyclinic for her 1 month checkup and Hep B jab. She was fussing like mad after that so we were all anxious to get her home and settled. And so, I walked out without paying.

OMG!!!!! I am a criminal!!

And I only realised at 6pm, by which time the polyclinic has closed.

I immediately "confessed" to my MIL and G, who both had a good laugh at me. And I decided to make my way down ASAP this morning after Sophie's bath to pay. I just can't be settled in my heart if I don't do that. Felt so guilty for my lapse..

Surprisingly, when I got to the polyclinic cashier and told her the story, the response is "Oh, its a small matter." Then she accepted my payment with a smile.

Hmmm.. Interesting.

Of course, I am grateful for the graciousness of the cashier and the polyclinic. But does that response mean that people "forget" to pay very often??

If so, I really wonder how many "freeloaders" there are in the Singapore health system. How many people will be conscientious enough to make their way down to pay their bills, knowing that they can get away with it easily? Indeed, there is no need to even make your way past the cashier to get to the polyclinic exit. You can simply walk out. And in the 24 hours that I was a "criminal" not a single call from the polyclinic or NHG itself to indicate that my "crime" has been discovered.

Then I asked myself, if I knew this was the response I would get (oh-its-no-big-deal), would I have been so anxious to go down and pay my "debt"?

And I think, yes, I will be. As mentioned before I can't be peaceful in my mind unless I know that all the things I am responsible for have been settled. Especially in terms of money matters. I have exchanged my precious time (ie. my life) for the money I have earned, so I believe that how I handle money is the best reflection of how I handle the rest of things in life. More so, if I cannot be responsible in the little things, how can I handle big things?

Hmm, but I think another 99% of Singaporeans would not have cared to rush down and return the payment. Maybe some would not be bothered at all, adopt a "wait until they catch me" attitude. Urgh!! Not the attitude for me.