About three weeks ago, my mom was driving my sister and me to the airport where we were to take a plane to Vermont to visit my dad. The traffic wasn’t bad but it looked like construction ahead so we decided to take the commuter’s lane. It took us straight into downtown Denver in rush-hour traffic, just opposite of the way to get to the airport. There were three foot cement walls on either side of the lane, so we missed any turns that could have righted us.

Thankfully we had aimed early in case of traffic or a long security line, and mom knew some Denver streets so we were back on track in no time. My mom was really stressed about the time though, so I went through The Work with her. We ended up making the plane just in time, even though it was taking off twenty minutes earlier than we thought.

What I realized after that encounter was though it seemed we made a “mistake,” it really wasn’t one at all. We learned never to take the commuter’s lane again, and mom learned not to be so hard on herself since everyone makes “mistakes”.

“I would have been okay to miss the plane just to learn that.” My mom said as we recounted our adventure to a friend.

So next time you do something you wish you hadn’t, go easy on yourself. Think about what you accomplished with your “mistake.”

Live and learn.