In most cases, I'll say "forgive, but never forget, or you're doomed to repeat the same mistake" Some might say it's cruel, but it works for me. At any rate, the hardest person for me to forgive is myself. I constantly do things, only to ask myself "What were you thinking??!!" I don't even have a reasonable excuse to give myself either... I mean, I don't have drug or alcohol abuse problems, In fact, I don't drink alcohol or use any drugs at all. I don't even smoke pot. Any medications I take, other than the occasional Naprosyn or Tylenol, is medication prescribed by my doctor. I must confess, any and all stupid things I do, I do on my own. I eventually forgive myself, because it's the right thing to do. I'll even sometimes laugh at my more obvious mistakes. It's better than crying.
I've said before that I was mistreated by my peers growing up, and I remember the ones who really made my life miserable, but there were only a few of them. Even less now, because as we've bumped into each other at various times, we've talked about it. In some cases, I was told by others what a miserable life (the offender) had, and I really do have a soft spot for people who grew up with parents who had substance abuse problems or were abused by their parents, etc. I realize I was very fortunate to grow up in a home where both my parents cared for me and loved me, and I never had to go without anything. It just makes me more grateful. it's easy to forgive someone when you realize that the other person had insecurity issues. Like I've mentioned in my other writings, I like most people.
One side effect of my medical issues (trust me, there's a whole bunch of them) is that I forget. As in, I can't remember things. I mean, I can tell you about stuff that happened 10 years ago, but 10 hours ago??? I'm not too sure on that. I forget names of people. Introducing people is difficult, if not impossible because of it. Social situations can be pretty tricky, because if I'm with a group of people that need introducing, and it's my job, I'll freeze up. Thank goodness for name tags and people who know about my memory problems! I even use the wrong names for common things. I know exactly what I mean, but unless you know me well, my mixed-up words will confuse you.I try to make a point to remember people, but I can look straight at a person, know that I know their name, but I can't remember it. Most of the time, it's people I've known for a long time and see on a regular basis. I normally laugh it off and then explain about my medical issues and then ask for assistance. It's a great ice-breaker too, because when people know that I try and don't allow my "disabilities" to hold me back, they're a bit more tolerant. They laugh with me when I make mistakes, and then they point me in the right direction. Now I've forgotten where I'm going with this, but I guess it's that people tend to be more harsh on themselves than others, and just cut yourself a little slack, acknowledge your weaknesses and mistakes, laugh at yourself, and keep going.
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