There Are No Mistakes

Anyone watch the Oscars?  I did and that huge screw up on Best Picture really got me thinking–especially about mistakes.

First, it must be said that I’ve always had a very robust fantasy life, untethered by reality or the facts and largely fueled by as set of unrealistic expectations grander than the Himalayas. Anyway, these expectations have often led me to believe, even for just a moment, that it when things don’t go my way, IT MUST BE A MISTAKE.   Didn’t make homecoming court junior year in high school? Oops, that’s a mistake.  A rejection letter from Harvard Law sends me into the dreamy space of imagining the effusive follow-up letter explaining this terrible mistake together with their heartfelt apologies for causing me distress and absolute joy to welcome me to the class of … you can imagine the rest.

But alas, that almost never happens. In my life. It did happen for the folks from Moonlight.  To be fair, I haven’t seen the film but I was glad because I thought La La Land was highly overrated.

The whole scene just made me think about mistakes. Not whose was it, though I’m sure someone at Ernst and Young will swing for this. But which was the mistake? The false elation of the La La folks, whose fledgling dreams were dashed almost as quickly as they took flight. Or the Moonlight folks who didn’t get the pure moment of joy  upon hearing your movie announced as the winner and the mystical walk to the stage awash with every emotion imaginable. As you can see, I’ve played out this fantasy of how humble I’d be upon winning my oscar. But I digress.

Mistakes do happen. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned. The spiritually fit among us would say that we can’t see the bigger plan. Hmmm. That’s possible I suppose. But it is hard for those of us who struggle with faith. It seems so clear in the moment that things *should* have gone differently.

People I admire say there are no mistakes. Everything is unfolding as it should. It is soothing, I find, to believe that I’m part of something much bigger than my immediate demands and desires. It relieves me sometimes to place my faith in a power bigger than me managing these outcomes. But other times I just want what I want when I want it.

So I’ll leave you with these words to use when perhaps the universe has a different plan than you do.

It is possible, just possible, that it’s “this” or something better.   Loosen your grip and imagine what could be in store for you.