Blame

Have you ever noticed that when something goes wrong we try to find something or someone to blame?
Today I was cutting the grass on a sit-on lawnmower and I looked behind me to check it wasn't dropping any of the cuttings behind me and drove straight over a tree root that was protruding through the grass bending the blades and completely churning up the grass! The tractor engineer came out to collect the lawnmower as it had to be taken away to be fixed. He said it was probably something to do with the timing belt I said, "No I don't think so..come and see this!" I showed him the tree root that I'd successfully taken a huge chunk out of , and the churned up grass beyond it as I'd driven on oblivious to what I'd just done (never heard the bang as I had my ipod on!).
He laughed and said, " at least you're admitting it!" I couldn't understand what else I could have done and he went on to say, " you'd be surprised how many times I pick up a lawnmower with bent blades and ask the person what they've hit and they immediately say, "nothing!" "
Now, I've been thinking about this today and I think sometimes our HM's are so full of what we were taught as we were growing up that we get "scared" about the idea of getting a row from a parent (or authoritative figure) so we automatically go into a defensive mode trying to deny we were part of anything that went wrong! Just say it as it is - you're a grown up now and have no need to hide or be frightened by telling the truth any more. We all make mistakes, it's a natural part of being human :)

" Take your life in your own hands and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame." - Erica Jong