03/07/2022
It’s strange how we don’t often realize that the only difference between failure and accomplishment is perspective.
This past week I packed up and moved out of the home my husband and I had shared for several years. A home where our family both grew and simultaneously fell apart.
On that final evening in the house, I spotted an interesting juxtaposition of belongings that had once been tucked away. Mementos from my failed marriage neighbored by a bin loaded with tokens of accomplishment.
Here’s where perspective comes into play. You might think I’d have felt a great sense of achievement for having completed each activity. But not one of those medals came without the little voice of dissatisfaction in my mind. The one that tells you, “if you did x, y, z you could’ve done better. You should have done better.”
That’s not to say that I’m not proud of myself for having completed such feats, but rather an explanation of how having certain expectations can easily destroy something good.
A failed marriage, doesn’t necessarily equal failure. Accomplishment can be had in understanding that we had truly exhausted every effort. I had poured my heart and soul into it in an attempt to make it work, but some things can’t be repaired. It’s a matter of knowing when to break the cycle. That’s where I’ve learned to feel my greatest sense of accomplishment.
