I don't like steps back, but they happen. They happen when I raise my voice to my little girl, even when I know that it does no good. They happen when I let the dishes pile up on me (again). And they happen when I stop at the drive through because I cannot fathom cooking dinner. Steps back. Not the direction I want to be going. But as much as these steps beat at my conscience, they are things that I can deal with.
My own steps, I can handle. What I have a much harder time with is watching my little girl take her own steps in the wrong direction. I know it's going to happen, I can even predict that they will occur! But that doesn't change the fact that when my prediction becomes reality, it's all I can do to not panic.
Progress. It's become a golden word. It takes hard work, perserverance, and sometimes...a few steps back to start with.