Ok, so funny story. I have had a really interesting morning. Call it a morning of epiphanies.
I had to go put bags in the car this morning after I took off my shoes. Always forgetting something. Luckily I still had my fluffy socks on. Careful not to step in the grass/mud, I tried only walking on the stepping stones. I’ve got this! But then, on one of the stepping stones, a bike lay half over it, making it really difficult to step on and not get my socks dirty. So, I thought if I could only step in the muddy grass, my sock won’t get that dirty. If I was lucky it won’t get wet at all. Wishful thinking.
I quickly stepped on the grass and back on the next stone. Free to continue my journey. And able to complete my task at hand. But something felt cold under my one foot. The foot that stepped on the grass. It was damp. And sure enough, there was a slight muddy stain on it. The water would dry up eventually, but the stain would stay. My white socks aren’t so white anymore. -If I had just moved that bicycle!
You can probably see where I am going with this.
So many times in life we are faced with a problem on our path. One that we could have resolved (legally, friendly, fairly, etc…), but thought it would be easier to go around it. It would certainly speed things up. So we cut corners, deceive, lie, ignore, our way around the problem. The end result: a stain that will always remind you of your mistake. Error in judgement. And no matter how many times you try and wash that muddy stain out of your white sock, it stays a light shade of brown and the material a bit stretched out. It gets better. We learn to live with that stain, as hard as it is to look at.
I know I have issues. I have ignored my circumstances, cutting corners to avoid my feelings. Never really knowing that I am ignoring big problems. And now I am left with that cold truth. I could just hope that the stain won’t be as bad.
We are people. We make mistakes. But let’s be the kind of people who chooses to rather move the bike. Out of your way and out of other peoples’ way. I want to be that kind of person.
If you want to know how to handle wrong decisions, I advise that you read: 5 Steps to recovering from a bad decision.