Thread by @nwaoma007

Reflecting

1./ My 8 year old daughter asked me if I’d like to go back in time and redo my life. She was curious to know if an opportunity to correct my mistakes is something I would like.

I paused and thought about it; and I said “No.”

She asked “Why not?”

2./ In her opinion, a do over would give me a chance to fix errors and avoid bad choices.
I paused & pondered again. Then I answered her.

“I’m the person I am today because of those mistakes and experiences. If I’d gone through life without those mistakes, without stumbling,

3./ falling, picking up myself and trying again; without fighting bad habits, overcoming some and still managing and struggling with others, I might be less understanding and forgiving of others.

But having gone through things, it is easier to live with others

4./ and for others to live with the version of me that I have become.

This was driven home to me recently when my teenage son got into trouble for something. He admitted he was wrong. While we were talking about it, he expressed that he felt terrible for letting everyone down

5./ and the guilt was crushing him. He didn’t feel good enough to be our son. That gave me pause.

I was angry about what he’d done. I was disappointed, but I also knew that it was one of those youthful high jinks which young people may get caught up in.

6./It won’t be the last of such either. I dug deep into my memory bank of my days as a teen. I told him that I understood. That I had made similar mistakes and that I still fall short in various ways. I made clear that he would get punished, but he also needed to forgive himself.

7./ I’d forgiven, but he had to know that on the growing up journey, everyone would make mistakes. The issue is what one does thereafter. That’s what matters.

A righteous man will fall 7 times but he will get up and try again.

On my journey in life, I’ve made many mistakes.

8./ I still make many. These days, I’m slow to condemn. Slower still to hold myself out as an example.

Life is strewn with bumps.
If life has seen you, and you’ve seen life; if you’ve stumbled, fallen and got up again, you’re more likely to show compassion to others.

9./ When you’re still fresh in life, still confident of your ability to “be good” to always get it right, it’s so much easier to sit in judgment over others. It’s easier to be dismissive of their experiences or mistakes with the tone of one who is near infallible.

10./ I’m doing a bit of stocktaking. I’m reminding myself that to err is human.

Lately it’s hard to understand what has happened to our humaneness towards each other. We’re on a quest for perfection from fellow human beings that’s impossible to attain.

11./ People aren’t allowed to ever slip or fail to meet the gold standard these days. If you slip, someone will be lurking in the wings, armed with a camera phone, waiting to capture you in HD ready to post it with a “This you!” caption. Yet it is human to make mistakes.

12./ I aim to be better this year. Less judgmental, always reminding myself that there but for the grace of God go I.

Happy New Year!🍾🥂🎉