Forgive and __________

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget” - Thomas S. Szaza

People always say forgive and forget but as humans, we don’t really forget. I mean, we may eventually forget after a significant amount of time has passed (depending on the offense) but it’s not like, “oh, I forgive you so I’m going to forget every crappy thing you’ve done to me.” NO!! That’s not real. 

When I say I forgive you it does not mean things automatically go back to the way they were; it simply means I’m over it. I am ready to move on. In most cases (because I am such a forgiving person) this will happen immediately and we will remain friends. However, there will be an asterisk placed next to your name with the footnote saying, “be careful”. In extreme cases it means though I will eventually forgive you, the tie has been severed. When I see you I will be cordial (because that’s how I was raised) but nothing more.  

In any case, forgiveness is essential to getting rid of baggage. Remember you have to forgive for YOU. But just because you forgive doesn’t mean you have to act as though nothing ever happened. That’s just not how life works.