Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2638: "Did you authorise this?"

A Tale of Unexpected Surprises

A while ago, while enjoying a cup of black coffee on a quiet afternoon, my phone suddenly vibrated with a suspicious notification. “Did you authorize this?” read the screen, followed by details of a transaction I never made. Instantly, my sense of calm turned to a little panic.

My brain scrambled for an explanation. Had I just been hacked? Had my card been stolen? Or was this just a prank notification sent by an overprotective security system? Holding my breath, I opened my bank app with trembling fingers.

When I looked at the details, I was shocked. It turned out the suspicious transaction was from a streaming service I’d tried for free a month ago—and obviously, I’d forgotten to cancel. “Ah, a classic trap!” I chuckled bitterly. It was like seeing an ex suddenly text me after a long time—not because they miss you, but because they have something they want to collect.

Notifications like this remind me of how often we do things without realizing we’ve authorized them. Like clicking “I agree” on an app’s terms and conditions without reading a word, or agreeing to help a friend move without realizing that “just for a little while” means a day full of boxes and heavy furniture that needs to be reassembled.

But beneath all that, there’s a small lesson to be learned: we live in an age where digital security systems are more vigilant than we are. They’re ready to interrogate decisions we don’t even remember making. So maybe we should ask ourselves the same question every once in a while: Do we really allow this decision in our lives?

I ended up canceling the subscription, taking it as a reminder to be more observant. But I can’t help but smile when I imagine what it would be like if every aspect of my life had a notification like that:

“Did you allow this?” when you absentmindedly put something in your shopping cart.

“Did you allow this?” when you text your ex in the middle of the night.

“Did you allow this?” when you decide to stay up late binge-watching a new series when you have an important presentation tomorrow.

If life had a system like that, we’d probably regret our impulsive decisions a lot less. But on the other hand, what would life be without a few unexpected surprises?