"We are human. And so are you."

Mistakes - oh how I  hate them. But, one thing about it - I am not alone by any means. If you are human, you make mistakes. It just comes with the territory.

So what is the problem?

The problem comes in when someone over reacts - either the person who caught the mistake, the person who was affected by the mistake or even the person who made the mistake.

Don't get me wrong - some mistakes can be deadly. And those are the worst kind to make. Unfortunately, that does not stop them from happening.

I hope to never make a mistake that has such a life altering/changing affect on someone's life.

I have, however, made a few mistakes or missteps in my life time.

Recently, a few kind souls have come forward to point them out to me. And guess what? I appreciate their willingness to do so.

After all, mistakes can be lessons that we learn from. They are little bits of our lives that help us to do better if we are open to that train of thought.

In the newspaper business we are going to make mistakes. I do hope if, or should I say when we do, you, our valued readers, will let us know. I will ask one thing of you - please make your presentation one that you yourself would appreciate if the show was on the other foot.

If you come yelling and screaming into my office, I most likely will not be as apt to listen to what you have to say. However, if you come in to just let me know an error was done and give me the opportunity to make it right - I will thank you. And work diligently to do better next time.

The two lovely ladies who came forward this past week were not ugly about the news they shared with me. On the contrary - one even apologized for saying anything.

Just a note, I appreciate her sentiment, but no one has to apologize for bringing something to my attention. I hope your efforts will afford me the opportunity to work towards doing my job better and more efficiently.

My grandmother and my father both told me mistakes are opportunities. Opportunities for learning. Opportunities to improve. Opportunities for growth.

We all get so busy these days and the newspaper business is no different. Working under deadlines is a recipe for mistakes.

When you are in a hurry and trying to meet a time for completion - it can be inevitable that a mistake will happen.  It is true what they say if you read something and know what it should say or what you believe it should say, you will think that is in fact what you read. Especially if you are in a hurry.

And sources for information aren't always correct. So, double checking is very important. I appreciate knowing mistakes have been made and I also welcome suggestions for improvement. It's the delivery that will make the difference!

If we make a mistake, please, by all means, let us know. I just ask that before you call or come by, remember - we are human. And by the way, so are you!