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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Taking a walk

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.
C. S. Lewis

I have written many blogs about forward motion. I've always felt the greatest form of accomplishment is to, indeed, continue ahead. This quote by CS Lewis brings out a very interesting point. What if your "forward motion" is to back track? What if your "road ahead" is the road you've already traveled?

No one wants to be wrong. And, no one wants to admit it when they are. Believe me! *snort* But, in the days of our lives, we are going to have to face the fact that we aren't always right. We don't always do things the best way. We don't always make the best decisions. And, we pay for it. You may not find reparation immediately.. but at some point in life, it will come back and bite you.

I believe the hardest thing to do in those situations is to stop and actually take the time to correct your mistake. "Haaa!!! Auntie, it's hard enough to get me to admit that I'm wrong! If you think I'm actually going to admit my wrong and try to fix it at the same time, well, you've lost it! I need time for my pride to heal before I go and make another mistake by trying to fix the first one."

You don't have to fix it right then. But, don't you think it would be much easier to go ahead and do the about-face? That way, when you stop for a breather, you will know what you're dealing with ahead..and you can plan your course of action to correct it. Let's face it... most mistakes happen because they are spur of the moment decisions, right?

Let's put this into Auntie's terms...

Jill is happy with her new Coach (for you guys, that's a purse). Hang on... what am I doing? ...

Mark Ingram is happy with the Saints. He is playing with the big dogs. He gets time on the field. He is practicing regularly and keeping himself healthy (for the most part). Aw heck...

Ok.

Bob has a good job, a nice truck, a pretty decent home and a jam up wife (come on, everybody knows Bob...stay with me here). Bob has had a bit of a gambling problem in the past. It became a big issue when he lost the entire contents of their life savings a few years ago; on a bad bet against the Tide (we all have to learn). At that point, Bob was scared of not only losing his earthly possessions,  but he was embarrassed at work, as well as among his circle of friends, his poker buddies; and most of all...he was afraid of losing his marriage.
Bob's first thought was to take his entire paycheck and go win the money back on some side bets this weekend (this would be an example of continuing with forward motion after recognition of a mistake). Bob had realized he had made a mistake, and his first thought was to continue in that same course of action to correct it. Can you think of a few "gambling" mistakes you've made? ...
The saving grace was the moment that Bob talked with his wonderful wife. She explained to him that this type of behavior can no longer continue, and that he could make a decision to fix his mistakes or to continue to make more (Bob has done the about-face at this point, and he is going to sit and take a breather to gather his thoughts about what to do next).
After a few days of deliberation, Bob finally made his decision. He took the first step on his course of back track and got a part time job delivering pizzas to replace the money he squandered out of the family savings. That road back was a really long one... it was full of things that he didn't want to do..and it created a lot of character for Bob. But, once he got to the point of origin, he was able to make the choice to take the right path. The path of continuous forward motion.

The moral of the story? Never bet against the Tide.

hahahaa.... I couldn't resist. Ok... so, really.. the moral of the story? What would it be for you? Did you get my point at all? Bob needed to think about a few things. He needed to consider his position in his family (the head) and he also had to realize that he needed to put his feelings on the bottom of the list. His needs and wants were of no importance. He needed to take the path of being a responsible and caring man for his family.

Oh... Bob saved enough money to replace what he had lost, and just enough to take the family to the 2011 NCAA Championship game. They all wore Crimson and was able to rejoice when their new favorite team WON! And, Bob was happy.

So.. I guess what I'm trying to say is; don't try to fix your first mistake by making a rushed decision about the remedy. Sometimes the road we've already walked, is the key to our redemption. Just make sure to keep it between the lines.

2 comments:

  1. Totally agree. That is what I had to do last week with my wife, an about face. Rewind back to the point of my emotional meltdown. I also had to throw my pride out the window because I was wrong. Pride is worth nothing if you do not have anyone to share it with. I can not remember where I heard it, but this quote was "If you always walk forward you will eventually drown in the ocean."

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    1. Love it! Love that thought, Jam. Thanks so much for that!

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