Getting Used to a Lifetime of Mistakes (and learning from them)

You know, it’s funny (as in stupidly ironic, not hilarious); once again, I’ve made what feels like a huge blunder.  I moved blindly ahead, made plans without consulting my calendar, and now have myself double-booked — and neither booking feels cancel-able.   I know that in theory, I “should” be able to cancel one — certainly I should be able to cancel the most-recently booked, in light of the fact that I did have previous plans.  The catch, however, is that the most-recently booked involved a fair bit of non-refundable expense.  To which I can only growl in frustration, then take a step back and ask, “so what’s the lesson here?”  Because I always know that there is one.   And in this case, there are several.

The first is this:  always, always, always pay attention to your inner voice.  And I mean, more attention than just a fleeting acknowledgement.  You see, I’m always (more or less) aware of my inner voice.  I just don’t always pause long enough to really hear what’s being said.  So, it’s important for me to slow down, here the words, and then check them out for accuracy.  Point taken.

The second lesson:  accept that mistakes will be made, no matter how old you are, no matter how much learnin’ you’ve done — there’s more to be had.  Accept the mistakes, and vow to accept the lesson as well.  Really let the lesson soak in.  And my lesson (or one of them) is exactly what I’ve just said — I will make mistakes, it’s okay, and it’s not the end of the world.  The solution may take a bit of thought, a bit of meditation, a bit of help from others, or even a serving of humble pie (not tasty, but mildly palatable).  This lesson — the whole “it’s okay to make mistakes” thing — is a big one for me.  I can totally believe it for other people.  And I sometimes have a hard time accepting it for me.  So, of course, I keep making mistakes.  I believe it’s the universe’s way of trying to drill this idea into my thick skull.  All right already, I’m gettin’ it, I’m gettin’ it.  And since I’m gettin’ it, I thought I’d share it with you.   Hopefully, you’ll get your head around the idea quicker than it’s taken me .