- Apr 10, 2017

The Mess Of Success: Learning From Life

What is "The Mess Of Success"?

I heard this quote while watching a reality show about living in Alaska called, "Life Below Zero". It showed scenes of a family processing the meat from their traditional hunts and this is where the term was used to describe the mess that was made; "the mess of success". I fell in love with it! I now see it everywhere in life. The Mess of Success. Gutting a large homegrown zucchini. Deep cleaning a room. Building anything. Crafting of any kind. Cooking of any kind. Kids know about this really well. They don't even worry about it. They KNOW mess leads to success. When we cease perceiving mess as a negative, we can begin to see all it's glory. The paths that were taken to get there. The thoughts that were in play. The materials of choice. If it's not our mess though, it's harder to notice these things. And if you're the one cleaning up many, most or all of the messes, this can understandably be very overwhelming, instead of a wonderful world of learning and discovery. Balance is key; no one should be miserable up-keeping the home. A family is a team so it is important we all work together to get everything done with joy intact. In our home, Hope (6) does not have chores to do. She often helps out or cleans up voluntarily after years of watching her Father and I. If I ask her for help she will almost always say yes because she wants to, not because she feels it's required. And though she does make many of the messes, she also invokes most of the laughter in the house and she is learning every day how to be a considerate member of the household. It will all come in time. When her messes are few and far between, I suspect it will be that her adventures pull her farther into the vast world and I will wish for the days I had big messes by little Hope to clean up after. *tears* I will be grateful for the mess whenever I see it! I will see the learning in front of me every time I kneel down to tackle a room torn asunder. I'll remember the messes in the kitchen or the craft room that I frequently make and see that they are no different than the mess that is before me.