It's OK.

I had a lot of errands to run this morning so my routine was all disrupted I guess and maybe my head wasn't where it should be.  I went to the post office and stood in line but it didn't take all that long and I could have stopped and picked up something to eat on the way to work but all I did was just get some gas.

It wasn't the station I usually go to and that couldn't have been the problem.  Getting gas is not a big deal.  You select your payment method, say yes or no to a receipt and maybe decline a car wash.  Let it fill, wash your windshield, put the nozzle back, put your cap back on and get your receipt.

For some reason I forgot the nozzle putting back part.

Some Mexican guys pulled up on the other side of my pump in a nice black Ford pickup and were talking back and forth in Spanish and I started to pull out and the one that was walking to the store pointed at me and said "Hey" and I realized what I was doing.  I stopped and sure enough, the nozzle was on the ground.  I thanked the man for flagging me down.  I talked about what a stupid thing it was I had done.

The man still at the pickup on the other side of the pump said "Ees OK."

I guess it could have been worse, I could have pulled away while it was still filling, the hose could have been yanked from the pump, etc.  The horror of the embarrassing, mistake in front of who knows how many witnesses was mitigated by the kind words of the man I didn't even see on the other side of the pump: "Ees OK."

Kindness is so humbling.  Makes you think to be kind to others, instead of doing or saying things that will make their day worse.  It's OK.

Gracias, amigo.

From now on, though, I'm standing right by the nozzle until it's done.  I'll wash the windshield after I put everything up.