Forget and forgive

These two powerful words that so often get used together in different order and sometime with one or both preceded by a “don't” can have a huge impact on our lives. The most costly scenario is “Don't forget and don't forgive”, a situation that can keep you up at night for as long as you stick to that poisonous recipe. It's a high-maintenance state of mind that continually burns inside, darkens one's life, and seldom brings something good.

Then there are the two symmetrical pairing of the two terms; first, “Don't forget and forgive” which is something that has always puzzled me and that I find totally unmanageable, if not unpractical. A lot of people mention it as a way to manage hurt or bad experience, but I personally don't see much benefit to it and frankly almost never uses it, as I find it to be almost as poisonous as the first expression we discussed. It might help as a mean to leverage experience, but I even doubt it.

The remaining one in that group is “Forget and don't forgive” and I must confess that I often find myself in that particular situation. I forget most things quickly and re-discover them randomly sometime. Generally when that happens, the hurt vanishes very quickly or is long gone and I move on.

As I love to do, I saved the best for last. “Forget and forgive.” This is the equivalent of starting anew, leaving the heavy baggage, shedding the old skin. It's a form of true liberation and an embrace of greater maturity. I like to “forget and forgive” a lot, but I'm not yet as good with it as I would like to. A great goal to work on!