Recently it became necessary to help one of my children course-correct, but when the guidence was offered, instead of taking it on board, they instead opted for melting down in an apocolyptic style end-of-everything freak out.
Later, after the dust had settled and the ability to think clearly had been regained by all parties involved, I offered this wisdom:
"You know babe, think about what just happened like you were riding on a bike. I saw you were about to topple so I gave you a little 'check your balance' message. Instead of checking your balance, which would have kept you from falling, you pedaled faster, flipped your bike, went flying over the handlebars, and landed in a painful heap. A crash didn't need to happen. Next time let's just re-balance and not crash."
Tonight I had a moment of clarity where I realized that lately I have been living my life over the handlebars. I might have been able to redirect myself. I might have been able to regain my balance. I might have been able to avoid the crash. I don't know. I gained momentum in an unhealthy direction, and ended up flying over the handlebars.
Sometimes you don't realize it's happening until you're picking the gravel out of your scrapes.
I'm telling myself what I would want my child to know. It's okay. Pick yourself up. Bandage your wounds. Get back on the bike, and next time, when you feel yourself start to wobble, slow down, take a break, refocus. You'll get to where you want to go eventually.
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