Sorry & Perspective

So, today's image is all about perspective, which has been a running theme in conversations this week.

In a revealing conversation with my sister today (which by the way, I love that she and I have them frequently), we talked about our perspectives on apologies and forgiveness.

I mentioned that saying sorry has lost it's meaning. Instead of people using it to express regret, apologize and/or willingness not to repeat past mistakes, it is used as a new pause button during disagreements and transgressions. At times, "I'm sorry" is said just to end an act that may be repeated again later. Sorriness can be part of a frustrating cycle of people saying it to stop a disagreement and then not resolving them.

Instead of sorry, I prefer for people to just be different, learning from the past and choosing better choices in the future. I desire more action over words.

Being different and acting differently has nothing to do forgetting what's happened. We don't actually ever forget, but through action, through forgiveness, we can let go and move forward. Forgiveness is a process. Forgiveness can't be given automatically, but evolves once the decision is made to start its journey.

At the end of the day, life is all about forward motion. Our words, thoughts and actions should propel us forward, progressing and evolving.

"I'm sorry" can hold great power in our relationships, if we truly mean them and embrace its promise to be different. Elton John sang that "sorry seems to be the hardest word." That's because when said with meaning, it can be difficult to say, difficult to really mean it. But when we really mean it, our lives can really change. We free ourselves to be different.