Give 52: It’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry

I’m off – look out Gordon Ramsey here I come! Today is my travel day to Toronto to participate in the Chef’s Challenge for a Cure. It’s the first time I have ever signed up for an event like this one. I am usually the one coordinating a fundraising event like this rather than participating in it. I’m a little nervous and very excited to be part of such a large campaign to raise funds for women’s cancer research.

My challenge today is finding ways to GIVE while traveling. This will be my first trip away from the comfort of my own home and routine to get a GIVE completed every day.  I am an ex- Torontonian and know the city well but I haven’t planned anything other than volunteering my time and my money for the Chef’s Challenge for a Cure.

Rather than making a GIVING plan I let the world bring me an opportunity today. This is where my traveling GIVE took me today.

Day 52: Give 52

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.” Buddha

I was hoping my day might bring something terribly exciting to share with you like helping someone with their luggage or a Mom needing a break from a crying baby on the plane but no such luck. Instead the world brought me another way to GIVE that I wasn’t expecting. It always amazes me that in a city of 8 million people you can bump into old friends every time I travel here. I bumped into an old friend today that gave me my opportunity to GIVE. Today I GAVE an apology to an old friend.

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” ~Paul Boese

We once had a friendship that had ended badly due to some behavior I am not very proud of. I will not share the sorted details but I will share with you something that was long overdue. This old friend is not one to carry a grudge – and we easily picked up where we left off and I feel lucky that I had him in my life at one time. I always feel that people come and go in your life for a reason and usually it means you need to learn something from them along the way. I learned many valuable things from this friend and I plan to give myself one more lesson today. I cannot control other people’s behavoirs but I can control my own and this is what I planned to do tonight.

Love is always having to say I’m sorry.” ~ Bob Irwin

We took time catching up and swapping life stories as old friends do. I then took the opportunity to make a formal apology that was a decade over due. I don’t remember all the details or how I was feeling at the time that made my behavior inappropriate but I did know that today I was sorry for my actions and wanted him to know how I felt. There was no excuse for how I treated him so many years ago. I valued the friendship we once had and was sorry I had done something to hurt him.

“It takes a strong person to say sorry, and an ever stronger person to forgive.” – Unknown

It felt soooooo good! I am not one to regret any experiences. I have chosen each experience in my life but sometimes along the way, when you have had time for some perspective (and a little more wisdom under your belt) the courage you need comes and making that overdue apology is so worth it. It’s a bit like lifting a wet blanket off a little piece of your soul.

“An apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.”~Lynn Johnston

Saying a sincere apology can sometimes be the hardest thing to do in your life but to the other person it could mean everything.

Do you have an over due apology that needs to be laid to rest? I would love to hear your story and most of all how you felt after making it. GIVE someone in your life today or someone from your past, the gift of an apology.  It will lift your spirits and theirs.

If only our world leaders would do the same maybe it would end some of the old ongoing conflicts on our planet.

“Apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.”~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Time Commitment: A few hours with an old friend

Cost: 0

Benefit: A great night sleep