Thursday, January 07, 2010

Feeling Good!

I'm feeling good right now. Better than I deserve, but nonetheless, I'm feeling good right now. You see, as much as I try, I still mess up. Make mashed potatoes instead of baked. Get it wrong. Hurt people. Lose perspective. I'd thought that as I got older I'd get wiser, I'd dig down and find a vein of profundity running deep through the muck and mire of my subconscious. Nope, I dug deep and found candy wrappers.

So, I messed up a while back and as a result I hurt someone. I didn't realize it at the time. So caught up in my own self-righteousness that I didn't notice the expression on their face, the pain in their voice. Didn't notice at all. I forget that I make mistakes, buy my own press - he's so sensitive. Blithely travelling along making sunshine where ever I go.

In a moments clarity I felt that a strain had grown between myself and someone else. I knew, instantly, that the strain had a cause. That the cause was me. I looked back at the situation that we, she and I, had found ourselves in. I saw how my behaviour could be hurtful. So what did I do with this news.

Nothing.

Well, maybe congratulated myself for being willing to see myself the villain rather than the hero of a story.

But nothing, really.

Until today. I called her and asked her to drop by my office. She did.

Do you know how hard it is to apologize for something you did. To apologize because you actually need to apologize?

The words formed in my mouth and it was difficult.

But I apologized.

We talked. I felt relief from her. I felt relief within.

I felt forgiveness because she is more gracious than I.

And right now I feel good.

Really good.

Because that's one burden less to carry along.

One hurt less in the world.

One bad action atoned for.

I get the sense, just a hint of an idea, that God is grinning.

4 comments:

theknapper said...

This is what I love about your posts....they're real'
It would be wonderful to think we won't hurt our friends/loved ones but we're human, no matter how wise we've become (I have much more wisdom when it comes yo other people's lives) and we will disappoint, miss something or be preoccupied by our own stuff. What we can commit to do is to stay in connection and a willingness to work it thru.....not easy but that's where real connection happens.
I love that you post after midnight and I get to read your post at the end of my day.

Dovic said...

Thankyou. For a gorgeous post. And for sharing. And that goes no where near enough to describing how nice it was to read.

Ellen said...

Thank you for a wonderful post.

Kristin said...

See Dave, that's what is special about your blog and you. It is real, honest, good and bad...and, most people try to present nothing but the sunshine. Your willingness to expose both the good and the bad remind us all that we need to face all sides of ourselves too.

BTW, you are mentioned in this post.