Wriggle Room

We have a concept in our table tennis club that is “always allow yourself wriggle room.”  It was promoted by the club’s founder and has stood the test of time.
It enabled us to try things.  If it worked, great and it would remain.  If it did not work we could learn from it, discard it, and move on. On the other hand when things were written in stone there was no way to back out or as they say “you have made your bed now lie in it.”  Certainly bad ideas need to be abandoned, but it is not a good look.
I heard a story about a parent that was going away.  They had a board, and every time the child was bad, the mum was to bang a nail into the board.  The father went away.  Soon the board was full of nails.  The child saw this and because he knew he was in trouble, did an incredible number of good things.  Soon all nails had been removed from the board.  The father came home and noted there were no nails, but what was evident was that there had been.
Wriggle room allows us to correct the past. Certainly it is evident that we tried something that did not work, but wriggle room allows us to learn from it and correct it.
There are some things that need to be set in stone though.  I think they are called “truisms.”  No matter what, they apply now and always will.  To me, they are like the foundations of a house.  They need to be right or the house will disappear with the first jolt.  Beyond that, a house can be designed however the occupant sees fit.  Wriggle room allows us to redesign the house, knowing the foundation is solid.
I personally am in favour of wriggle room.  I need to be really careful though.  I have set things in stone before, and regretted it. I think I have a natural tendency to set things in stone, and doing it a different way is harder but worth it. To me, that is what friends are for.  I have a certain way of doing things, and it is only when I get the thoughts of others, I sometimes realise there is a better way.
Fortunately for me there are people like me.  Certainly we are all unique, but it is within the framework of being similar.  As they say “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
Tonight I am cooking. We are having “Hacher sur des toasts.”  Sound impressive?  It is French for mince on toast.