The house I grew up in had four bedrooms. The master bedroom was down one end of the house, as far as possible from the other three (well played Mum and Dad). Often at night, one of my parents would lie down in the hallway so we could all hear from our rooms, and tell a story to all of us kids tucked away in bed. The options were either a made-up story, or one from when they were young. Whenever we chose one from when they were young, we had a second choice to make; a story from when they were good, or from something naughty they did.
Of course we usually chose a story from when they were naughty.
Hearing about the mischief your parents got up to as children was so exciting and I still recall many of these stories now as an adult.
In fact, I find myself doing the same thing to my own boys, telling them stories from when I got into trouble or made some poor choices. They tend to end with us laughing and them telling me they can’t picture me doing something like that.
The truth is, some of the best experiences and stories I have are from when I have made a poor decision, or when life hasn’t gone as I would have hoped or expected.
They are the stories that caused me pain, sadness, embarrassment, and even regret. Some were my own fault, some caused by other people, and others are just a part of life that we can’t control.
I now realise how important these experiences have been for me. Through these challenging times I have learnt the most in a short period of time. Some of that learning certainly came about the hard way. However, It is through them some of the best parts of me have developed.
I have learnt persistence through a whole lot of failure. I have learnt compassion through having others forgive me when I have done wrong. I have learnt to be mentally strong through accepting that despite the challenges in my life I can still control how I handle myself. I have learnt to look for people who may feel alone by feeling lonely and uncertain.
But one of my favour qualities, the one that brings me the most peace, is I have learnt to accept all of me by sharing the embarrassing stories and the silly mistakes I’ve made. When I am open and do this, I see others laugh and smile and I hope that in those moments people get to see that those experiences are a big part of what has made me who I am today.
Like the stories where I brokered a covert deal and traded some desserts from the restaurant I worked at to the KFC next door in an effort to get a box of KFC salt for a birthday gift for a best friend.
Or when I covered everyone in my families toothbrushes with soap before putting toothpaste on them while they watched A Country Practice together just because 🤷♀️.
Or when I left my first ever job interview to find my shirt buttons completely undone all the way to my belly button.
Or the time I signed off an email to the big boss of the company I worked for with “love you heaps” because I had sent an email to my dad just prior and got muddled up.
Or even when I said “yes” to going out with a boy I barely knew and had no real interest in during the second week of my first year of high school because he gave me a box or chocolates and a Valentine’s Day card and...well....I wanted the chocolate.
If I had a life where everything worked out all the time, or when I always made the right choice, not only would it make for some pretty boring stories, it would also make for a very limited version of me.
Even though they are hard to walk through, the challenges in life allow for the most growth, provided we take the opportunity to reflect and grow.
So I will keep sharing my failures, my embarrassing moments, and my blunders, because they make some pretty damn good stories. They have also helped played a vital role in producing some of the best parts of me and I’m truly grateful for that.
