Crying over Spilled Milk

Published on Thursday, January 29, 2009 by Katherine

refrigerator picture Yesterday, timing was everything. I had to feed my son and get him to scouts by six. I had 45 minutes for these two important tasks, including drive time. Isn’t this when the most unexpected happens?

My unexpected was an entire gallon of milk. A gallon of milk that had fallen over. A gallon of milk whose weight forced the cap off. A gallon of milk that poured out onto the entire bottom shelf, then into both drawers, and THEN to the bottom of the fridge, under the drawers, and THEN poured out the bottom of the whole unit and onto the floor.

I never thought a bag of grapes could get so, well… milky. Every shelf, every drawer, every food item….. it all had to come out and be washed down. This was one of those moments when you just break down and cry. But I didn’t have time. I had to get my son to scouts. And then come back to the same mess I was just facing.

Fast forward, my once somewhat dirty refrigerator is clean.

On the way out the door this morning, I said something about needing to hurry. I wasn’t stressed… just talking to myself more than anything. But my son picked up on it and simply said, “Mom, you should try to just stop and enjoy life once in a while.” My son is just like that. Short, sweet and wise.

So today, when I opened my refrigerator and noticed the shine, I thought about what he had said. Yesterday was a minor disaster – a nearly-crying-on-the-floor disaster. But from that mess came a clean refrigerator. And every time I open the door, I actually feel good about how it looks. And it makes me enjoy life just a little bit more.

So I challenge you. The next time something stops you dead in your tracks and makes you want to scream – take a step back. Because somewhere, somehow, everything will be OK, despite what you are facing. And something good just might result from this stressful situation.

You only live once. So stop, take a big breath, and be glad you are in the moment – even if that moment involves washing milk off a bag of grapes.