Do Over!!!

Remember that? When a game or turn went horribly wrong and you got to do it all over again with those two simple words? Man, those were the days!

A friend reminded me of this concept just this morning. I was struck. I want, often NEED a "do over" on a daily basis (at the very least!)

I was even more struck when he likened "do over" to the word "repent." I always connoted the word repent with fire and brimstone and a large angry finger pointing down (and wagging!) from the sky. But "do over..." that seems so kind and forgiving. "Hey I screwed up, I know it and I'd really like a chance to try again, thanks."

On the drive between my hometown and my university there was a barn with the word REPENT painted on the roof for all highway passers by to see. Every trip I took I wondered, who would do such a thing? Pretty nasty to wag a finger at every car on the road, I thought. Now, I may have to take a trip to find the barn owner and ask him if he was wagging or just telling everyone to be boldly humble enough to ask for a "do over" when they needed one.

Where are you boldly humble enough to ask for a "do over?"
Where in your life could you offer one up without being asked?

We will receive!

Recently a friend of mine emailed me after she was given a surprise baby shower for her soon-to-arrive daughter. Originally, she didn’t want any of the hoopla and material stuff of the whole shower scene, but she reflected to me about how wonderful it was to receive such thoughtful and useful things from people who really cared about her joy.

After having two kids of my own and moving through the stage of overwhelm with receiving, I had to respond back to her.

“I'm SO excited that you experienced your friends' joy for you and also got to bask in the delight of RECEIVING. You're such a good giver... sometimes it's difficult to receive. Instead of "you shouldn't have," simply say, "thank you so much" and revel in the delight it gave the giver... Remember how it feels so you can relay to your daughter how very excited the world was to meet her. My daughter's favorite stories are of the gifts she received before her birth... before we knew if she was a girl of boy or what her name would be. "You mean people were happy about me before they even KNEW me?" Yep.”

How do you receive? Comment and let us know.

My head is like a junk drawer

We all have a junk drawer somewhere. Mine’s in the kitchen under the microwave. Certain items in there have a specific “spot” (like the clips for cereal and cracker bags and my 25’ tape measure). Other stuff is just thrust into the abyss (like a spare key or screw to an unknown something). It isn’t all junk. Just yesterday I found a use for several of those ornery silver twist ties that seem to perpetually pin children’s toys to cardboard packaging (they’re great for making do-it-yourself wine charms.)

Every so often, no matter how honorable my intentions to keep the drawer tidy and relevant, I have to open it wide and reexamine its contents. I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping most of the drawer full of useful things. But there’s something about sorting through your own stuff that’s challenging. Even if my head knows that the 5 inch piece of red string is better off in trash, I need to hear someone ask, “Tell me again why you’re keeping this?”

Life coaching is like a good junk drawer cleaning. You can do it yourself if you can successfully divide yourself in two and then talk to yourself objectively, pointing out things you didn’t see before. I’m no good at that. I need a real second person to help me out.

My junk drawer doesn’t need to be examined every day, but it’s in use at least that often. I can clean it in March and I’ll add and subtract enough treasure to it to warrant another good purging by July. Why did I keep this? Does that reason still exist? Did life change enough for this “treasure” to now be “trash” or vice versa?

When my life gets full of spare parts and rogue ideas, I look to my coach to help me sort out that which is of worth and throw away the rest. There’s incredible energy in the purge.