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When 2 Wrong Turns Equal Impatience

6/3/2014

1 Comment

 
Today I made a wrong turn.

I made a wrong turn that cost me 25 minutes.
25 minutes, and peace.

I was driving to pick up my niece from soccer practice.  I was on time, traffic was good, I was cruising along and listening to music.  But I made a left instead of a right.  I ended up on the wrong side of town, and when I went to correct that wrong turn, I made another wrong turn.

Almost half an hour later, my patience with myself was wearing thin (read: it was completely gone).  My poor niece was sitting at the field, waiting for me, and I wasn't there.  I had let her down.  But even bigger in my own mind, I had let myself down.  I'd failed as a driver, an aunt, a person.

Hold up.
Isn't this a bit drastic?

Uh, yeah.  But I didn't realize it until later.

I got home after dropping her at home and just wanted to take a run.  Spoiler alert: I have never "just wanted to take a run" before.  So I knew 1) Yay! I am getting better with exercising! and 2) I was really stressed.  And in the course of that run, I realized that I was putting way too much pressure on myself.  I had made an honest mistake, I hadn't meant to get lost twice.  My niece was safe, her mom knew she was safe, and I got to her as quickly as possible.

So where was the problem?  In my own head.  Not with the wrong turn, but instead with my perception of myself and how I dealt with the situation.  The problem was that I allowed my 'value' to sit completely in my timeliness and ability to not make a mistake.

*newsflash*: Everyone makes mistakes.  And yes, timeliness is important, but an occasional slip-up is part of being human.  I'm human.  I'm allowed (and expected) to make a mistake every now and then.

So maybe I should go running more often, if only to come to more self-realizations.  Maybe I should accept my imperfections as God-given quirks or ways to grow in holiness.  And maybe I should allow myself to make a wrong turn sometimes (though not when an 8-year-old is waiting for me....).  

I must accept my own humanity as I accept the humanity of others.

1 Comment
Renee link
6/4/2014 09:48:05 am

ALLISON. Thank you for sharing this. I just teared up reading it. Such a simple lesson, but why is it so hard to learn? Thank you for the lovely story and lovely post!

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    allison.

    walk in faith.
    walk with hope.
    walk for Love.

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