You’ve Made a Mistake

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After all, tomorrow is another day.

Scarlet O’Hara

So you’ve made a mistake. So what?

You’ve locked your keys in your car. You didn’t call your mom on her birthday, or remember your wedding anniversary, or left the restaurant without paying your bill. You snapped at your best friend, child, boss, student, lady behind the counter at the gas station. You overslept.

You forgot and missed an appointment. You’ve burnt your supper in the pot. You accused someone innocent of wrong-doing. You didn’t think before you spoke or acted and hurt someone’s feelings, started a huge argument, started a vicious rumour. You spilt your milk.

You broke a promise to take your kid for ice-cream, visit a sick friend, help someone move, or paint, or harvest their garden. Maybe you’ve caused harm intentionally and immediately regretted it, wished you hadn’t said that, didn’t do that, didn’t sink so low. You can’t look at yourself in the mirror.

You made a mistake. So what? Tomorrow is another day. You can fix it, apologize for it, make amends for it, pay for it, take responsibility for it, learn from it, forgive yourself for it and move on…

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

What To Do When You’re Wrong

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“Swallow your pride occasionally… it’s non-fattening!” ~Unknown

Upon the realization that you were wrong, you could continue to argue your point and hope that the individual who is right will just give up.

Or when it dawns on you that your neglect or malicious actions have done another harm, you could just continue to act as if you harmed no one, as if you are free from blame, as if it is the harmed one who is to blame, the one who ruined everything.

You could that, and maybe others will believe you, but you won’t find lasting peace that way.

Why not acknowledge the egg on your face. Own up to what you’ve done. Eat crow if you must. Lay in the bed you’ve made. Pay the piper. Take your licks.

You aren’t the first human to mess up, and you won’t be the last. I mean it’s not like everybody doesn’t already know. Your denial doesn’t make it go away.

So say sorry when you’re wrong. Seek forgiveness. Make amends if you can. And if there’s a price to pay for what you did, then pay it.

Swallow your pride occasionally…it’s non fattening!

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

The Last Chance

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We never really learn from the first mistake or the second or third. It only hits us when we’re given the last chance. ~ unattributed

I’d like to think that I when I make a mistake, I recognize I’ve done so right away and at the very least, I do not repeat it ever again.

But is that what really happens? For me? You?

When the above quote appeared on my twitter feed, it stopped me in my tracks.

I can think of specific examples when I said or did something, and immediately I’d wished I hadn’t done it. I tell myself I will never do that again and before I know it, I find myself in a similar situation and I DO IT AGAIN!

What is wrong with me?!

It’s as if I’m programmed to do it. Usually it takes several instances before I can commit fully to I-will-never-do-that-again.

Then there are those times when I am not aware that what I am doing is a mistake, or not the best choice I can make until I’m given one last chance or it’s just too late. period.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Can you relate? What has your experience been?

How Boring Would It Be?

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“Differences are not intended to separate, to alienate. We are different precisely in order to realise our need of one another”-Desmond Tutu

How boring would it be

if I was like you and you were like me?

If we all looked the same, thought the same, and liked all the same things?

Because, I love how you challenge me and what I believe, even when it makes me angry.

I love what I learn when I struggle with you, even when it makes me cry.

I love what you teach me, about myself and the world, when you share your thoughts and life experiences.

When I am weak, you are strong and when you are weak, I am strong.

We need each other.

If you really think about it, closed-mindedness and conformity are way more threatening than diversity.

How boring would it be if I was like you and you were like me?

How would we grow?

How would we even know what we’re missing?

How would we learn about forgiveness?

Acceptance?

Compassion?

Mercy?

Wisdom?

Courage?

Kindness?

Love?

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Why would we even want, or need, to spend one single moment with each other?

Shaking Hands

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You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.~ Indira Gandhi

When I was a child witnessing wars on TV, my heart would break and I’d burst into tears.

My parents would assure me that as I got older, I would be less affected by world events; I would be too busy with the events in my own life.

For the most part, this has come to pass.

Yet news of the goings on in the Middle East and planes being shot down still reduces me to tears and I stretch out my hands toward the TV; I pray for those who have lost loved ones.

I do not know how I would act if someone’s actions killed my child.

I do not know if I would hold out an olive branch of peace.

I cannot possibly understand the Whys that cause us to do the things we do.

But I do believe that all life is sacred; my heart grieves at the loss of human life.

Perhaps I can’t affect peace on a grand scale…

but I can do so within my own circle of influence and there is much work to do.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Dear USA: Happy Thanksgiving…with love, Canada

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Photo credit: perhumanresources.blogspot

After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations – Oscar Wilde

As you know, Canada had Thanksgiving in October and the food was great but it was the company that was truly outstanding!

Sure some people picked at their plates and others were still angry about that thing that happened forever ago, but when we sat around the table to eat, all that yesterday stuff was forgotten. We ate. We were thankful. There was love.

So yeah, I know you are anxious about Thanksgiving dinner but as you can see it turns out ok, so you can relax and loosen your grip on that knife!

I wish I could be there with you! I know, I know, we’ve had our quarrels about who invented hockey and basketball – Canada did – but that’s not the point. The point is we are thankful for you, our neighbours south of the 49th parallel and the further south you are, the better. And if you invite us over during winter, we’re even more thankful!

But I digress. You’re family. You’re like our big brother and we know your occasional jabs at us are your way of saying you love us too. And we know we can be a little pesky at times like little siblings do. However, Thanksgiving is a time when we lay all that aside.

It’s a time to reflect on, and be grateful, for family, friends and all the little blessings in our lives. So we raise our glasses to you with warm thoughts in our hearts and prayers for your health and joy on our lips.

So while you celebrate Thanksgiving and enjoy your meal, know that we are thinking of you and wondering why you didn’t invite us for dinner.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Happy Thanksgiving USA!

*Sorry Alaska. We do not mean to offend you by seemingly not acknowledging that you are indeed north of us, but your location really messes with our whole ‘south of the 49th parallel’  schtick.*