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 ~

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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 ~

Excuse me please and thank you

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When I was growing up my parents stressed the importance of saying I’m sorry, Excuse me, Please and Thank You.

And by stressed, I mean enforced it to the point that it became a natural part of who I am.

The other day, while on shift at my second job, my co-worker remarked, “Diana, people really warm up to you, you’re so polite!”

I’ve experienced similar comments over the years.

You say thank you a lot! You were so polite with that server! That person totally relaxed their shoulders when you apologized!

This catches me somewhat off guard. When did being polite become the exception to the rule? When did saying thank you or please or excuse me or I’m sorry become something that stands out from the norm?

I spend a lot of time writing about saying thank you and being grateful here and at The Other Bottom Line. Even in my professional life it is a point I find myself stressing over and over!

Good job Mom – the lesson stuck!

Have we become so busy that there is no time to be polite? Do we really need reminders about minding our Ps and Qs? Why does it surprise people when they encounter good manners?

Yesterday as I was leaving Kalamata, not the city, the store, I came face-to-face with a man through the glass door.

I stopped in my tracks.

The gentleman grabbed the handle and pulled the door open for me.

I said, I’m sorry – thank you!

And he responded with ‘No worries, my pleasure.’

Much to my surprise, his kind gesture and polite demeanour stood out to me as different from the norm.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~