Written by Sarah
I've been notorious for doing really dumb things.
I had one of these really dumb moments a couple months ago, when I went out for frozen yogurt with a couple of my friends. After purchasing my fro-yo, I asked the girl at the counter if I could have a cup for water. I had almost finished filling my cup when I realized my mistake: I had filled it full of lemonade.
If you've ever used a drink machine, you probably know that typically the lever for water is behind the lemonade lever. I had completely spaced it! Embarrassed, I approached the girl at the counter and admitted my mistake.
"Just drink it," she told me, waving a dismissive hand.
I explained that I couldn't do that without having a guilty conscience, so I paid her for the lemonade and left.
Although this might seem like a silly little mistake, I'd like to relate it to a life lesson. Sometimes in life, we're going to make mistakes. Without realizing it, what we meant to be a cup of water can quickly turn into a cup of of lemonade, and we can't change it back. As embarrassing as that mistake may be, it's our responsibility to admit to our faults and fix them.
And, like that girl at the counter, there will be those in our lives who try to convince us that we don't need to fix our mistakes, that we should just erase them and pretend that they never happened. But unfixed mistakes cannot be erased, only buried. If you want to be cleansed of your guilt, you must face the reality of the situation and find a way to fix it.
Luckily, no one in this life is perfect. We all make mistakes, and we can all empathize with one another. Don't let your past haunt you, forgive yourself and let go. Move forward. Stop reopening old wounds. You can't change what's happened; you can't put the lemonade back in the dispenser.
I've learned to be more careful when getting my water. That's the beauty of making mistakes. We learn, we improve, and we know better next time.
Maybe someday I'll make the same mistake. I'll be embarrassed and I'll be two dollars poorer than I was before, but I'll have a good cup of lemonade to enjoy.
So when life gives you lemonade, don't be ashamed. Laugh it off, pay the cashier, and embrace your imperfection. That’s the wonderful thing about being human: you can always find ways to improve, to change, and to learn from your mistakes.