We were planning on taking a trip quick abroad on a little respite in Europe. Janet and I were packing and, having ground for two solid days in anticipation of the trip, we were in the process of packing and wanted to get a little nourishment before we went to sleep.
I started boiling the water for one of my favorite dishes, which we call “Larry’s Blah Ha – pasta in consommé – and went back to packing.
I would check on the stove from time to time and the water got hotter and hotter, until, in my absence, it started to boil. When I got back, I saw that it was boiling and I went ahead and put in the Orzo. I then went back to packing. When I got back to the half-baked meal, I saw, walking into the kitchen, that it was about to overflow. I rushed over, turned down the stove, reached for the wooden spoon, and started turning. Within five seconds, the water, about to overflow on boiling, subsided and continued the orderly process of cooking the Orzo.
It occurred to me that there is probably never a remedial action that is simply too late. I can’t say never, because there is a time in which it really is too late. But in most instances, reaching for remedial action when you obviously know that you had made a mistake, allows the opportunity to do something different to achieve a different result.
In this case, by turning down the heat quickly, it did what it needed to do: the water did not boil over and the Orzo – alas – was saved. Thank goodness for the Orzo and thank goodness for remedial efforts.
When we make a mistake, it is appropriate to redirect energy into more productive results and mediate whatever possible results we can in the meantime. To hold on to the wrong action is not only the wrong thing to do, but also pretty much guarantees an unacceptable outcome.
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