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reflection section

burnt mistakes

Did it again this morning - burnt the toast. It's a problem. It's not the toaster oven, it's me. Convinced the lower setting won't make it crispy enough, I set it on high and promise to "watch it" - but of course, kitchen duties sidetrack me ... until I smell burning. Black toast, brown toast, all shades of toast except the one I wanna eat. Toss-in-the-trash-waste-of-food burnt.

DANG. WHEN will I learn? WHY don't I learn?

Why do we repeat our mistakes? And how do we learn from them?

We exit one not-so-great relationship only to dive into another not-so-good one; and repeat the same mistakes in our partnering. We spout off stuff to our kids and coworkers, spouses and friends, which we promise we'll cease saying, yet we find those words spilling again, getting on their last nerve - and sometimes ours. We make writing mistakes, artistry mistakes, human mistakes and dumb mistakes.

We leave one job we didn't like to accept another, yet continue the same mistakes in our work habits and patterns, even how to coexist with fellow staff.

And when any of the above causes us to think we have yet to find happiness ... we blame it on the person, job or situation which managed to "fail" us.

[Yet remember happiness is an inside job. Even if you dislike your work, you can still be in a happy mood. They can be separate. REALLY.]

Although life has taught me some excellent lessons along the way, I am not convinced there's truly a lesson to the burnt toast quandary, or that I simply continue to allow the toaster oven to burn my breakfast. Maybe that's it - maybe I am allowing the mistake instead of working harder to prevent it? I know what to do. I know the answer to not having burnt toast, yet I fail to make good toast.

Or maybe I am looking for an escape goat so I don't have to accept the blame? Oh right, hello, it's the stupid toaster's fault! [But wait, I bought a new one and still, what did I get? Burnt toast.]

Maybe that's it with our other mistakes, too. We want to blame it on another someone or something, when we are supposed to be responsible. We know how to prevent the same mistake, but we allow it anyway.

What do you think?

Why do we repeat mistakes?

Share a brief thought here.

Your fellow snippeteers are listening;
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snippeteer backtalk

on 'zero reaction' dec 11 snippets

"Always a good read. I will take your challenge with a smile. Starting now."

Tina, CA

"Another great snippet ... and oh so true!"

Phyllis, MD

"I've been working on zero reaction for some time now. The state is re-vamping our road ... all some of our neighbors can do is complain ... the road has been under construction for over a year now ... sitting in line is a good time to take a photo or play on my phone with music - in other words, it's become my 'quiet time.' So I've taken something that has in the past grated on my nerves and made it into something nice."

Karan, MD

"Thanks for this! Merry Christmas."

Carey, MD

"LMAO! Welcome to my world ... your 'dropsie day' is my daily life. Instead of 'zero reaction' I laugh at myself. Loud and hardy! Since my accident and neck surgery, my hands don't work properly. In fact, some days they don't work at all. Does this depress me? Heck, no! This is pure entertainment, for myself and many others. I had complete visuals of you while reading about what you dropped ... I have chased my fair share of Tupperware around the kitchen and am seriously considered one of the world's greatest juggling acts, by friends and family. Thank you for the early morning belly laugh ... disability loves company!"

Geri, MD

ciao ...

until you snippet again

suzanne molino singleton

creator of SNIPPETS

(since 2006)

email SNIPPETS here

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An assortment of inspirational snippets to encourage, empower, validate and motivate, inspired by Suzanne's countless bike rides through scenic Baltimore County, Maryland and along Florida's Gulf beaches. Whether you're a cyclist or not, you'll latch onto these wise words of inspiration to guide you while pedaling up and down life's hills.