Just back up, honey!

I had a roommate in college tell me that the definition of crazy was repeating the same action over and over again expecting a different result. I believe at the time she told me this I was kicking the dishwasher hoping to jar it back to life...

Her words came to mind the other day as I watched River playing on the patio naked, sporting my cute black flats, pushing his grocery cart and melting into tears because one of the wheels on the grocery cart was caught on a post and he couldn't figure out why his cart wasn't moving forward. He was repeatedly pushing the cart expecting that perhaps the next push would move the cart in the direction he desired. Alas it was only wedging the wheel further. Several times I said, "Just back up, honey! Then you can move forward again" as if he was old enough to understand my logic.

After the 3rd or 4th time he did seem to get it, though, and when he did I had my own little ephiphany. While I'm certainly mature enough to see the necessary steps to unwedge the wheel of a toddler grocery cart I am not mature enough to see the necessary steps to undwedge myself from place I've become stuck in my life. Or as I like to see it (since I loves me some rivers!) dammed in general. Not damned... dammed. I don't believe anyone is damned... just dammed. Dammed like a river unable to make progress. (But that is a whole other theological discussion!)

Like River, I need to back up, too, so I can reassess and reestablish my efforts because right now I am the definition of crazy repeating the same actions over and over again melting into tears when such actions not only do not produce the desired effect but in fact only make things worse. It is amazing the life lessons you can learn yourself from the advice you give to your child!