I was going to post this on bio's thread about living life to it's fullest as it is somewhat similar, but didn't want to threadjack so I started a new thread.
Anyways, I've had two recent experiences including one yesterday that reminds me how precious life is and to live it to the fullest! The mottos I have lived by most of my life are acceptance and forgiveness b/c it is moments like these that remind you how unpredictable life is and part of living life to it's fullest is never having any regrets and always letting those you love and care about know how important they are to you!
It is also what makes me thankful for the close friends I have that truly understand who I am, how I act and as such, accept me for who I am and forgive me for my faults because they know that no matter what I might joke about that I am a good person who cares about and accepts everyone, unless they give me a very good reason not to such as trying to harm myself or those close to me.
The two events are:
1) The death of my best friend Simon in June of '07, I spoke to him the day before via AIM b/c I was in Vienna and looking forward to seeing him when I returned which was 10 days later, I regret not having a log of that, but I hold on to the memories of who he was and what he meant to me as a friend(I often referred to him as my "little brother" b/c he was like the younger brother I never had), not to mention these forums would've been just the outlet for him to get his life back on track!
2) A mutual friend let's call him Tom, held a grudge against Simon until the day he died b/c of an immature comment Simon made a few years back. Simon was 17 and when Tom bragged to him about his new gf, Simon being a curious teenager asked if they had sex yet, a touchy subject for some, but still no reason to sever relations with someone, especially after Simon apologized for said remark :nonod:.
Well I found out that Tom has a grudge against me as well b/c of an inappropriate joke I made over 2yrs ago that could be seen as in bad taste at worst as it did not directly offend him or his then fiance. I found out yesterday that this is why he has been ignoring all my contact for the past year(we've known each other for more than 5yrs) and he pretty much told me that he "forgives me", but wants nothing to do with me simply because of a joke I made which is only worth mentioning b/c people like this are exactly how you should NOT be, his reasoning is that I "embarrassed" him in front of someone he cared deeply for(and is no longer together with btw) and a 5yr friendship is not worth maintaining over a joke.
As far as I'm concerned, forgiveness and acceptance really need to go hand in hand for this to work, b/c whether or not he admits it, he will regret the cold way he treats people, especially those he was once close to as we went to school together and shared many deep/personal conversations and life experiences such as a few long roadtrips together where we discussed a lot, in fact he helped introduce me to my passion for travel and roadtrips. He also knew that I have a very relaxed and edgy sense of humor and I thought he was accepting of this, but yesterday he had the nerve to say the only time he wants to hear from me is if something bad happens to a mutual acquaintance. Again, not the type of person I want in my life, but just a reminder to all not to take those people who are important in your life for gratned b/c he'll never have a chance to make amends with Simon and if something ever happened to me he'll have to live with the regret knowing that he gave up a meaningful friendship for something so frivolous.
So please if you have any friends that you truly appreciate don't be afraid to let them know as much as you can and on the other side, realize how important a friendship really is and learn to accept and forgive those who are genuinely trying to make amends for whatever they've done wrong in the past.
-Clint
Anyways, I've had two recent experiences including one yesterday that reminds me how precious life is and to live it to the fullest! The mottos I have lived by most of my life are acceptance and forgiveness b/c it is moments like these that remind you how unpredictable life is and part of living life to it's fullest is never having any regrets and always letting those you love and care about know how important they are to you!
It is also what makes me thankful for the close friends I have that truly understand who I am, how I act and as such, accept me for who I am and forgive me for my faults because they know that no matter what I might joke about that I am a good person who cares about and accepts everyone, unless they give me a very good reason not to such as trying to harm myself or those close to me.
The two events are:
1) The death of my best friend Simon in June of '07, I spoke to him the day before via AIM b/c I was in Vienna and looking forward to seeing him when I returned which was 10 days later, I regret not having a log of that, but I hold on to the memories of who he was and what he meant to me as a friend(I often referred to him as my "little brother" b/c he was like the younger brother I never had), not to mention these forums would've been just the outlet for him to get his life back on track!
2) A mutual friend let's call him Tom, held a grudge against Simon until the day he died b/c of an immature comment Simon made a few years back. Simon was 17 and when Tom bragged to him about his new gf, Simon being a curious teenager asked if they had sex yet, a touchy subject for some, but still no reason to sever relations with someone, especially after Simon apologized for said remark :nonod:.
Well I found out that Tom has a grudge against me as well b/c of an inappropriate joke I made over 2yrs ago that could be seen as in bad taste at worst as it did not directly offend him or his then fiance. I found out yesterday that this is why he has been ignoring all my contact for the past year(we've known each other for more than 5yrs) and he pretty much told me that he "forgives me", but wants nothing to do with me simply because of a joke I made which is only worth mentioning b/c people like this are exactly how you should NOT be, his reasoning is that I "embarrassed" him in front of someone he cared deeply for(and is no longer together with btw) and a 5yr friendship is not worth maintaining over a joke.
As far as I'm concerned, forgiveness and acceptance really need to go hand in hand for this to work, b/c whether or not he admits it, he will regret the cold way he treats people, especially those he was once close to as we went to school together and shared many deep/personal conversations and life experiences such as a few long roadtrips together where we discussed a lot, in fact he helped introduce me to my passion for travel and roadtrips. He also knew that I have a very relaxed and edgy sense of humor and I thought he was accepting of this, but yesterday he had the nerve to say the only time he wants to hear from me is if something bad happens to a mutual acquaintance. Again, not the type of person I want in my life, but just a reminder to all not to take those people who are important in your life for gratned b/c he'll never have a chance to make amends with Simon and if something ever happened to me he'll have to live with the regret knowing that he gave up a meaningful friendship for something so frivolous.
So please if you have any friends that you truly appreciate don't be afraid to let them know as much as you can and on the other side, realize how important a friendship really is and learn to accept and forgive those who are genuinely trying to make amends for whatever they've done wrong in the past.
-Clint
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