But, to be honest, I've slipped into "emergency mode" it seems like, so only those urgent activities get done. Unfortunately, this makes me a terrible blogger. Even my writing has suffered. I'm a failure.
But I'm proud that I'm a failure, too. Because failure is good for you.
Seriously, it is. I really I mean it. No, it's true. If you can fail, you can do anything. That's a mantra we should all adopt.
Okay, you can stop laughing now.
I've been thinking about this recently as I deal with my children and the bane of their existence: homework. I have a few boys (okay, all of them) who struggle with homework. One can't quite grasp the material and needs a lot of help figuring it out, another already knows the material and sees no reason for doing it since it's too easy, and one is too busy pursuing other interests and forgets to make the time for homework. And so, recently all have failed to turn in homework on time.
But two of them have been changed by their failure. Both paid the consequences of their failure--one wasn't able to attend his weekly floor hockey activity, and the other lost his weekly computer privileges--and both realized that they were in charge of their individual destinies. It was an empowering experience for both the them, thanks to failure. Now both are much more dedicated to getting their work done without nagging from Mommy Dearest. (We're still holding out hope for the third. He's still young.)
Sometimes I think we see failure as, well, failure. But it's not. It's still success. Because each time you fail, you learn. And learning is really what life is all about, isn't it? To grow, to progress, to learn, these are what I believe we are really here for.
So, lately, I've been failing spectacularly in the writing department. And I'm proud of it. Though I've made no progress on paper, I'm still progressing. Instead I've learned how to be a better mother, a better wife, a better gardener, and that, in turn, will make me a better writer.
So go ahead and fail. It will be good for you.