Lately, I’ve started a few new projects that require steep learning curves! Consequently, I am in the middle of making many, many mistakes as I learn and practice. {I am so grateful for patient, and loving teachers.}

So, I’ve been thinking about making mistakes and about how many times in life, and most particularly in parenting, we get served a large portion of humble pie, and we have a choice to make: we can chose to stop trying or use our energy to dodge responsibility or graciously eat up that serving of pie and learn to learn.

A simple example today: I did some weeding in my flower bed before I came in to make dinner. I worked in the kitchen for awhile, and had a meal mostly prepared when the dog was let in the house. When I looked down to greet him, I saw mud all over the floor where he was excited and dancing around to greet me. “Argg,” I thought, “He’s been digging in the flower bed again and his paws must be full of mud!” I pointed the situation out to my son who is responsible for the dog.

Fast forward ten minutes: we were sitting down to eat, but I quickly got back up to get something I had forgotten. As I was returning to my chair, what did I see? I saw pieces of mud under my chair…no one else’s chair….just mine. Oh! The flower bed! The mud I had attributed to the dog was my own.

How many times do we realize that a problem or difficult situation has arisen because we misjudged or incorrectly perceived something only to find out that it was within our power to have prevented or remedied things, but didn’t? {And sometimes it’s so much more than muddy feet!}

For me, many.

It’s good to remember that it’s ok to make mistakes. We all do.

And when we recognize our part, we can apologize when needed, do our best to make things right and keep moving forward.

When the light came on and I said to my son, “Oh! It was my shoes that were muddy!” and “Sorry for thinking it was you boy”…to the dog, my son just said, “Yep.”

I’m wishing you bright fall days full of patience for yourself and your loved ones.

Be well!

Jacque