From Kitchen Chaos to Leadership Wisdom

How One Spilled Bowl of Blueberries Became a Leadership Motto in Our Family

Some lessons in leadership don’t come from books, boardrooms, or conferences. Sometimes, they come from your kitchen floor, covered in blueberries.

Our youngest son was about three years old, and it had already been one of those days. You know the kind: small frustrations piling up like dominoes, ready to tip at the smallest nudge. He’d been tense and teetering emotionally all afternoon. As we worked together in the kitchen, him helping with snacks, me trying to keep us both on track, he picked up a container of blueberries to pour into a bowl.

Only… he missed.

The blueberries bounced and scattered everywhere. And that was the last straw.

He crumpled into tears and wailed, “I ruined the blueberries!”

I knelt down next to him, hugged him tightly, and gently reminded him, “Sweetheart, it’s ok. We can wash the blueberries.”

He paused, sniffled, and repeated it in a small voice: “…It’s ok. We can wash it.”

That tiny moment became something much bigger. That one sentence, “It’s ok; we can wash it,” became a mantra in our family. Whenever someone makes a mistake, hits a wall, or feels like they’ve just wrecked something important, we pull out that phrase like a reset button. It always earns a smile (sometimes through tears), and more importantly, it helps us all keep a healthy sense of perspective.

Spilled Blueberries and Leadership
It turns out that phrase doesn’t just apply to toddlers in kitchens. It applies to leadership, too.

Whether you’re running a school district, leading a team, or just managing a very human to-do list, mistakes are inevitable. We send an email too soon. We misspeak in a meeting. A plan doesn’t land quite right. And just like my son, it’s easy to spiral into “I ruined everything.”

But most of the time? We didn’t ruin it. We just need to pause… and wash the blueberries.

The Real Power of the Phrase
“It’s ok; we can wash it” isn’t about brushing off mistakes. It’s about reframing them. It says:

The mess isn’t the end.

Most problems are fixable.

You are still worthy of grace.

And sometimes, the best leadership move is to take a breath and laugh a little.

Our teams need to hear this, too. Especially in fast-paced environments where pressure is high and the margin for error feels small. When a staff member fumbles, when a deadline slips, when someone is visibly overwhelmed…maybe they don’t need a lecture or a fix. Maybe they just need someone to say, “Hey… it’s ok. We can wash it.”

A Sunday Reminder
As we head into a new week, full of goals and calendars and curveballs, let this be your gentle Sunday reminder: You don’t have to have it all perfectly together. And when something spills (because it will) try offering yourself the same grace you’d give a three-year-old with a bowl of fruit.

You’re doing better than you think. And most of the time… It’s ok. We can wash it.

What’s one silly or unexpected phrase that became a go-to in your home or team culture? I’d love to hear it—comment, message me, or just write it down as your own reminder for the week ahead.