U is for U-turn

Have you ever made an illegal U-turn? Perhaps you sailed right past your destination and as soon as you realized it, you knew you had to turn back. Maybe you took a wrong turn or simply decided to take a different route. Perhaps you changed your mind about going at all. You knew you had to turn around but there was no safe place to do it. So you took a chance and made the U-turn.

No doubt, people glared at you with righteous indignation. They rolled their eyes and wagged their heads that anyone could be so reckless, so inconsiderate, so foolhardy. Secretly they hoped you’d get caught when in fact, taking that chance may have saved the day. Admitting your mistake or changing course may have solved the problem…

…just as it can in life. When you realize you owe someone an apology or a pardon and you need to go back to them with it. If you’ve been selfish or rude or jealous and you want to make amends for it. When your chosen path is getting you nowhere and you need to find a better way. When you’re lost or confused or unhappy, you may want to retrace your steps and try again.

People will understand. Chances are they’ve done the same thing…or wished they had.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch,
a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment,
or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
--Leo F. Buscaglia--

jan