New Start

Today I was walking in the park with Abby when that little voice inside me decided to mention that I forgive myself for everything.

How's that for a new start?

We arbitrarily create certain "new starts" in our calendars. Jan. 1 and the Monday after Labour Day come to mind. The truth is we can create a new start any time we want. And the real truth is that every second and ever nano-second is an opportunity to start afresh. Life is always new. Every second is a brand new one - it has never existed before.

We can choose to forgive ourselves and move forward into the world with a fresh page. Everything I have done in this life that I am less than proud of had been the result of being stupid and just plain not thinking ahead. I remind myself of my yellow lab (no coincidence that I have a yellow lab). When she was a puppy she knocked me down and I sprained my ankle. Of course she didn't mean to do it. Nor does she mean to do other things that upset me - like running off and following some intriguing scent. She does it because - well, it seems like the right thing to do at the time.

My mistakes fall into the same category. I honestly don't know of a single time that my intention was to hurt another person.

I think most people are the same.

Forgiveness is liberating, healing and necessary.