Over the years I, like most people, have had my share of blunders. Some big, some small. There have been conversations wherein as soon as the words were out I wished I could suck them back into my mouth, or reactions that would have been better had I exercised a little more thought preceding them. 

This past week I had one of these moments. I could see the mess spilling out before me. Thankfully I caught myself, however, and practiced something I learned a while ago — the do-over. I stopped, acknowledged my mistake, apologized, and hit the reboot button to start anew. I’m grateful to say things then shifted in a positive direction. 

Merriam-Webster defines a do-over as “a new attempt or opportunity to do something after a previous attempt has been unsuccessful or unsatisfactory.” In my opinion, there are few situations that cannot be improved upon by a do-over. All it requires is awareness, humility, forgiveness, and a little creativity in reclaiming what’s been lost. 

What a beautiful act of love the do-over can be as it demonstrates a willingness to try again. 

May you be inspired!