Thursday, June 12, 2014

On mistakes. And other deliciousness

The other day I ordered a frozen vanilla chai with soy milk and the barista made it with whole milk. In the middle of my internal deliberations over whether or not to say anything to her about it (I don't like complaining and I try to avoid it as much as possible, plus it was a perfectly good drink, just not the drink I was expecting), she realized her mistake, asked if anyone wanted a free chai and made me a new one. The woman in front of me in line gladly accepted the free chai and said (to me) "Thank you for ordering this" and (to the barista) "Thank you for making a mistake." I thought it was a fantastic little moment. It's a good reminder that sometimes the best course of action is to go with the flow and let things work out on their own. And that mistakes can be delicious.

I started thinking about those words, "Thank you for making a mistake." What if, instead of beating ourselves up over our mistakes, we were grateful for them? Mistakes aren't inherently bad. Like anything else, it's all in how you look at it. In any situation, you can focus on the negatives or you can find the awesomeness in it. The false starts, the missteps, the stumbles, they're all part of the experience.

Sometimes I look around at my life and think how did I get to this weird and wonderful place? I took some chances and I made some mistakes and I kept going. Maybe mistakes are life's way of slowing you down so you get to the right place at exactly the right time. Maybe they're what inspire us to make the brave choices that lead to our very best moments.

Lyric of the moment: "In all the days I've travelled I have never been this far. I can't believe that this is where we are. 'Cause I adore you..."

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