I.

A mistake can be a screw-up, a SNAFU, a moment when something or someone is ignored, insulted, hurt by another person who didn’t do any of those actions intentionally.

II.

A mistake can be an opportunity, a lucky break, a time when something or someone is given a reprieve, a second chance, a new start, an unexpected piece of information, or a set of circumstances that open up prospects of a whole new experience.

III.

A mistake can be a blurt, a blip, an unguarded conversation when someone says what they actually feel and reveal something negative or hurtful, or else declare their love and adoration. Whatever the case, that relationship will shift forever.

IV.

A mistake can be a trip, a fall, a miscalculation, that sends someone flying in an unanticipated direction, tumbling or swirling into parts unknown with unexpected consequences, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

V.

A mistake can be a moment of awakening, the cracking of a protective shell, a breaking open that reveals the soft, vulnerable insides of a tender human heart, an opportunity to reshape and re-emerge.