Saturday, August 29, 2009

Life's "Do Overs"

A couple of mornings ago, I woke up with the refrain, "Life is a series of 'do overs' " running through my head, and wondered sleepily what on earth that meant. When I was finally awake, I realized that, although I hadn't thought of it quite like that, I've noticed that things I've flubbed in some way often seem to come up again and again--not necessarily with the same person, or in exactly the same situation, but with the same principle involved. Whenever I catch myself asking, "Why does this keep happening?" I know it's time to pay attention in a different way--a way that can give me a new slant on what I am doing, or not doing, that brings this experience back again and again.

It's hard to do, but I try to look at myself as if I were somebody else, observing me and getting the benefit of what I am doing or saying. When I do this, sometimes I am embarrassed to find that I have been doing exactly what I criticized someone else for doing. It's such a shock when I finally realize it, it's a lesson not easy to forget. It's embarrassing because I believe in treating others the way I like to be treated.

What happens when I seriously miss the point? I get "do overs" until I get it right. It may sound negative, but in reality, I'm glad to have so many "chances." It's good to know we don't get condemned for our mistakes--just constantly reminded by life to "shape up."

3 comments:

  1. How lovely when we are given the opportunity to change our perspective and actions and "redo" an experience. Thank you for the eloquent way you put the thoughts that were in my head. I love your writings Troy! Rhonda

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  2. Troy.I love that you are a ponderer and thinker, and that you put pen to paper.This morning I am pondering upon this and imagnining what it would be like to have a mother that writes and thinks like you.It is a foreign concept to me. The only thing my mother wrote, reluctantly, I might add, as she hated to write)was her signature on this or that. It was a sort of chicken scrawl.I so enjoy reading what you have to say. Paula

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  3. Thanks, Rhonda, I'm glad you like what I write, Troy

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