I know that this is something I have talked about before… forgiveness. It is such a tricky thing to navigate, but it is something that is important to discuss. Forgiveness is about forgiving others and sometimes it is about forgiving yourself. A lot of the time it is forgiving yourself and others at the same time. That brings me to my first quote of this post. Morrie Schwartz says “Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others.” As we start the new year this is what I think about because in order to move on into a new season/new year forgiveness is a big part of moving on. We do not necessarily have to forgive in order to move on, but forgiveness is something that is important if we want to let go of the things that are hurting us. Even if the other person is not sorry we should learn to forgive them anyways, but like I just said forgiveness is not necessary in order to move on. I think Taylor Swift says it in the best way. She says “You know, people go on and on about, like, you have to forgive and forget to move past something. No, you don’t. You don’t have to forgive and you don’t have to forget to move on. You can move on without any of those things happening. You just become indifferent, and then you move on.” So in other words you do not necessarily have to forgive people.
Like I said before it is important to forgive yourself as much as it is important to forgive others. That is a huge thing we can all learn in life. Yes, forgiving others is important, but forgiving yourself is more important. We are all imperfect and flawed in some way or another. This brings me to my next quote of this post by D. Muthukrishnan. They say “If you cannot forgive yourself, you cannot forgive others.” In other words, forgiving yourself is important in order to forgive others because if we cannot forgive ourselves then how in the hell can we forgive others? Like I said we are all imperfect and make mistakes. We are only human after all. That concludes this post. I hope you take the time to really digest what forgiveness means to you and enjoy the following poem about forgiveness. Before I conclude this post I will leave you with one final quote. Suzanne Somers says “Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.” So in other words, forgiveness is something you give yourself, not to other people. That concludes this post.
Forgiveness
I am sorry… the words that are dripping
From the mouth that should taste sweet
Like honey, but in the heart they taste like
Blood, full of copper and salt. Do you truly
Mean those simple words or are you tripping
Over false words and promises? Your feet
Carry you to the ocean where you dislike
The waves, but drowning in your newly
Found duty to be honest with yourself and
Those you hurt should mean something.
How can you live with yourself when you
Can feel the flames on your skin? How can
You forgive others when you cannot stand
To forgive yourself? Maybe you are numbing
The pain inflicted by others. Maybe the blue
Parts of your soul heal from the pain you ran
Away from. All you know is that forgiveness
Should not feel like something that hurts as
Much as a bullet to the heart. It should not
Have to be as painful as being in love with
Someone who does not love us or give us
What we need in return which are the paths
To redemption and forgiveness. The knot
May become untangled, but you re-breathe
Life. Forgiveness is never easy, but neither
Is leaving her behind – the girl who used
To never believe in forgiveness or apologies.
Now she wears those words proudly on her skin.
I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. The keeper
Of words that used to be fractured and bruised,
But now they are the words of higher qualities,
A different place than where she used to begin.