Mistakes, I've Made a Few

My boss is not one for drama. She has only one request from us, "no surprises." If something goes wrong, she wants to know immediately. And she typically calms people down by saying things like, "Did anyone die? Did we lose a million dollars? No? Then take a deep breath."

I learned this same lesson from my mom when I was in high school.

Just before my parents left the country for a Rhine cruise, my mother mistakenly said to a group of my girlfriends, "No parties in the house when we're gone." The minute she walked away, one friend said, "Your parents are going away and you weren't planning to tell us?" I knew I was screwed.

I didn't personally plan the party but tons of people showed up. It wasn't fun at all because I was so worried but I relaxed after everyone left and the remaining few girlfriends and I danced around to the B52's and Gary Numan.

The next morning, when we were cleaning, one of my friends discovered it: a giant burn hole in my parents' dining room table. No exaggeration, it was probably 3" wide and 1" deep. There was nothing I could do but prepare for the worst.

When my parents arrived home, the first words out of my mother's mouth were, "Were you good while we were gone?" I immediately burst into tears. Even before I could ask how their trip was, I showed them the table.

My mom's response? "Relax. It's only a dining room table. Actually, I've wanted to sand out the cat paw prints anyway."

It was a watershed moment for me. Possessions don't matter in the grand scheme of life. But love and forgiveness rule.