adventures in love

Day 48? #100HappinessDay Challenge

Did you notice my mistake yesterday?

I could have just went in and edited the post and no one would have been the wiser. But I made a mistake 😳 and figured it’s a good time to admit I’m not perfect – nor have I ever been. Quite the opposite! And I may need an editor, which my son has pointed out to me several times over the last year of writing this blog.

Shit happens
I make mistakes all the time. I don’t mean to. I don’t set out to make a mess of things (if you’re seeking Ms. Perfection you won’t meet her here). Some mistakes are small. Some are mammoth-life-altering doozies. But guess what? Mistakes are typically the way we learn – they are just life lessons in disguise. Don’t let making a mistake dull your sparkle.

Own it
You messed up. Recognize it. Embrace the issue. It’s your creation, your very own pink elephant, to tame.

Don’t make excuses
Yeah, there are always the “if only” or the “but if I___” and down the rabbit hole you go chasing the “what could have been” while making excuses. That doesn’t erase the mistake and sometimes it slips into a downhill spiral, leading into a very dark depressing space.

Don’t beat yourself up
We are brilliant, sparkling human beings. We are love. We are God’s creation. As such, would you berate a small child for spilling milk? No. Remember that the next time you are beating yourself up. Be kind to yourself. Let your glorious self sparkle even when you may be covered in grime.

Clean it up – if you can
Some mistakes, like my typo from yesterday, is easily fixed. Take action if it’s fixable. With some mistakes there’s no going back. There may not be a way to fix it. Or change it. It is what it is. That’s a life lesson, a memory in the making that’s not pleasant. But may be something we can learn from

Forgivenesses 
Be kind to yourself and others by practicing forgiveness. If you make a mistake, causing harm or hurt feelings, humble yourself. Ask for forgiveness. Maybe the hurt is too deep or fresh and the one wounded don’t have it in their heart to forgive – do it anyways. Don’t forget to forgive yourself. See above. Don’t fall into that dark place. Embrace the light. Let God’s healing balm soothe the hurt.

Learn from it
In my own life, some of life’s greatest lessons have emerged from mistakes. My mistakes and other’s. What I’ve found is to really look at the experience trying to distill the lesson, absorbing it so that I don’t repeat it. (Except typos. Typos seem to haunt me and I’m sure to repeat them. Please forgive me in advance.) Life has a funny way of presenting situations over and over again until you learn the lesson you’re there to learn. Learn those skills. It’ll save your sanity down the line.

On that note, I’m signing off.

Wishing you all love and happiness.

Love, April