If you trip with your feet, you can get back up again and continue as usual. We all make mistakes like this sometimes. It might be embarrassing, but only if you care greatly about the opinions of others.
If you trip with your tongue, you unleash more than just words. You share thoughts, desires, or perspectives that may hurt others. Once you’ve said something hurtful, you can’t undo it. There’s no getting back up; there’s only asking for forgiveness and hoping they’ll pull you back up.
Think before you speak. Whatever you say, write, or tweet will be out there forever. You can burn pages, delete tweets and Facebook comments, but you can’t pull your words from someone else’s mind. So, while you may one day forget why you said such hurtful things, others won’t. Don’t forget an earlier lesson that says it’s best not to speak unless you know for certain it’s something worth saying. If even a sliver of your being thinks what you’re about to say is better left unsaid, just keep it to yourself.
If your hurtful words are already out there, don’t try to make them go away, or tell people that they misunderstood—apologize. Say that you’re sorry for what you said, sorry for how you made them feel, and express your desire to be more mindful in the future. They may not accept, but that’s why it’s so important you avoid tripping with your tongue in the first place.
I am sharing this because I have made peace with myself. I have decided to forgive, I won’t lie. It is not easy. I am so lucky that I have such a good mentor who helped me go through this, who’s there to listen, who support me. I have come to the last stage which is acceptance.
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