I am not sure where the word "slip-up" comes from. (I know I could Google it but I am not going to do that just now.) I use the word to mean "mistake" and it works in either noun or verb form: "I slipped up and forgot to pick up my dry cleaning" or "not watering the plants was a slip-up on my part". Little slip-ups can occur in many forms. Right now, I am focused on
- Going too far, passing the target by
- Forgetting that I already hit the goal
When the hero is being chased by the giant, sometimes he slips behind a tree and the giant runs on by. From the giant's point of view, he has gone too far. He ran hard, determined to catch the little intruder but pure, gigantic effort led to a slip-up. The hero gave the giant the slip. He slipped by. It seems to me that getting the right target, the right dose, the right level of effort is a large part of our lives. We can go "over the top", try a particular path or strategy too long or too arduously.
I guess most of us have had the experience of forgetting we have already achieved. You work and work on your paper, your thesis, your dissertation. You regularly get back to the text, the chapters, the data. You make sure that all the required committee members will attend. Then, two weeks after passing the orals, landing the job, landing the grant, you are shopping for groceries and suddenly, your unconscious jolts you: What about the paper? Did you remember to ….? Then, you consciously remember: it is done, it is past, it is over. That is a good moment to accept your mind and your habits as helpful, trying to work for you, even if they occasionally slip up. They are trying and they will get on the right track. Give 'em some gratitude and respect and a little time.
A woman, married to the same man for over 40 years, was shopping in the produce section. As she reached for the turnip greens, she thought," No, he doesn't like turnip greens" and then she remembered: she is a widow now, she is in a different situation. She had forgotten but she would later be able to remove those reminders that no longer applied. By then, she felt ok about rearranging her mind.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
