A Gift to the Next Generation

"If I were given the opportunity 

to present a gift to the next generation, 

it would be the ability for each individual 

to learn to laugh at himself." 

~ Charles M. Schulz

When I rush, I make mistakes. I get careless, I miss things. Basically, I reveal my human-ness.

When I blunder, I envision my parents in heaven shaking their heads. I hear my mom scold, "Didn't we tell you to always do your best?"

Yes, Mom, you did. 

Now that I am older, I realize my parents were not telling me that mistakes were bad, they were just trying to teach me that if you do things with care, you are less likely to make mistakes. As usual, they were just trying to make life easier and protect me.

Besides, I agree with Gretchen Rubin who said people "don't notice your mistakes as much as you think." My husband Steven seems to echo this thought. He played bass and sang with a local garage band and said if you're performing live, "When you hit a clam, just keep playing."

Keep going. Don't let mistakes stop you.

So this morning, while photographing the sunrise, I missed a shot and my parents and their lessons on mistakes came to mind. My heart said to the sky, "I don't like to make mistakes, but they do help me to do things better next time."

As I write this, I am looking at the sky's colors. The sunlight on my face sure feels like my mom's laughter. The wind is my Dad's smile.