My white towel was only six months old. I was drying my nasal mask while the towel hung on the towel bar. I pressed too hard with my finger, and suddenly my finger poked through the material, creating a finger-sized hole. My perfect towel was now defective, and I was annoyed at my carelessness. But then I had to decide what to do with the towel.
 

My first thought was to throw it away or at least give it to the animal shelter. But it wasn’t that old, and it was a small hole. The rest of the towel was in perfect condition. The hole reminded me not to press too hard, make sure there is some slack.
 

I could put it at the bottom of the pile of towels and use it in an emergency. But I kept rotating it with the other towels. Whenever I hung it up, the hold always seemed to be visible.
 

Sewing up the hole is another option that only occurred to me recently. It would solve one problem, a holey towel. It would also remove my reminder. So, what have I learned from this experience?

• Mistakes are usually of my own making.
• Mistakes don’t need to ruin my life.
• Little mistakes can be a warning not to make a bigger, more important one.
• I can hide mistakes or allow them to be reminders.
• Fixing mistakes reminds me that I can move on.