Day 3082: I forgive you

Many people I work with in therapy have trouble forgiving themselves for past mistakes and transgressions. Yesterday, I gave somebody this assignment: to look themselves in the face (in a mirror, any other reflective surface, or, yesterday, during our ZOOM call) and say, “I forgive you.” We practiced that many times during the therapy session, with this person adding their name at the end of the self-forgiving statement.

I’ve been practicing that also, and it really helps. I forgive you, Ann, for

• being irritable with lots of people lately,
• your lapses in memory,
• repeating yourself,
• unintentionally hurting other people’s feelings,
• your internalized sexism, ageism, racism, and other isms,
• not being good at everything,
• not understanding everything,
• doing less walking yesterday because of the heat,
• taking only one photo outside yesterday,

• not getting a better shot of those ducks,
• eating meat in a restaurant last night,

• buying way too much Ferrero Rocher gelato,

• being a daily bitch,

• seeing monsters where they don’t exist,
• being a monster at times,
• having trust issues,
• scaring Harley just by moving too quickly,

• comparing Harley to your late, lamented kitty Oscar,
• repeating yourself, and
• spending too much time on Twitter.

I forgive you, Ann, for sharing this song for the umpteenth time.

I forgive you, Ann, for asking people to comment on your blog about their own experience with self-forgiveness.

I forgive you, Ann, for ending each blog in the same way, day after day.

Day 1031: Hope

I hope I can express, in my first post about hope, how important hope is for human beings who struggle, cope, bruise, and heal.

I hope you understand that I’m saying that hope is important to all of us.

Hope is:

• a word that comes up in therapy, every day.
• something I hold for every person I encounter.
• according to Emily Dickinson, “the thing with feathers.”

I hope you don’t mind if I include that entire Emily Dickinson poem, here.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers – (314)
BY EMILY DICKINSON
“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

I hope you see the hope in today’s photos.

I hope I am healthy and you are, too.

I hope you enjoy today’s music!

I hope you share thoughts, feelings, and music about hope, below.

Hopeful thanks to Emily Dickinson, to Frank Sinatra, to children everywhere, to Foxes and Fossils, to Crosby Stills & Nash (for creating “Helplessly Hoping“), to people who hope to heal, and to you — of course! — for reading this post and liking it (I hope).