Oops! I Made a Mistake.

When I taught Second Grade, one of my favorite books was "Oops! I made a mistake." I read it and reread it and read it again. My students had it memorized by November. In it, a little boy makes mistakes. And so does his brothers. And even his dad. And each time, the right thing to say is, "Oops! I made a mistake." No need to pout. No need to yell. Just clean it up and be done.
In learning a new culture, new language, new boss, new job, new way to clean and shop and get around and... well, you get the picture... lots of new things! I will make mistakes. Mistake after mistake, in fact. And it's OK. No need to pout. No need to yell. Just clean it up and be done. And move on. Which is one thing when you order an anchovy pizza instead of a spinach one. It's a whole other thing when you're talking about people. Then, it's called forgiveness. It's called mercy. It's called grace.