This morning I took my dogs outside and as I looked over into my neighbor's garden, noticed that one of their sprinklers was broken. Basically, the water was still coming out but instead of it going over the grass, it was aimed right into the lake behind them!
For my neighbors, this was probably a source of frustration, never mind the fact that the lake certainly didn't need watering and so it was in many ways a waste! BUT, then I noticed something that made me smile and reminded me that sometimes the worst mistakes are the greatest gifts!!
You see, under the sprinkle of water that was coming down sat 2 ducks. They were in heaven as they enjoyed bathing in the water! I couldn't help but smile as I realized that maybe the broken sprinkler was the biggest gift of all!
In recovery, when we slip or fall, the first voice we hear is invariably that of Ed's. He loves to point out how we've made yet another mistake, how we are failures, and how we can just never get anything right.
Well, Ed is full of you know what!!!!
Just as those ducks benefited from a broken sprinkler, when we step back and reflect on the tumble we took, there is always a lesson buried underneath that can help us find greater understanding for the journey we're taking. Sometimes those lessons are so small that they're hard to notice, but I know that if we take the time to reflect on what happened, we can always learn something.
And so the next time you turn to Ed, instead of beating yourself up for using a behavior, grab your journal instead. Write about what happened and then look at whether there was something for you to learn. Maybe you realized there was a point where you could have reached out for help, maybe you'll discover a pattern of behaviors that you'd never noticed before, or maybe you'll understand how all your emotional response to a situation had been shoved inside and perhaps next time you'll allow yourself to feel just a little. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn nothing, but I like to think that every thing that happens has a reason behind it and we just have to explore a little!
Here's to mistakes! As I taught my 1st graders this week, mistakes are simply a different way for us to learn!
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