How to Live: Lesson 3

Picture by Erin

 I have made a few mistakes that I deeply regret, and nearly all of them have been the couple poor choices that ended up hurting the feelings of friends. One of these mistakes was how I treated my best friend, Erin, our senior year of high school. She was going through some stuff, and instead of supporting her, I was sarcastic and made jokes and was just an awful friend. But we never talked about it; I'm sure my detachment hurt her, but she never said and we both just sort of ignored it and headed off to our respective colleges, continuing to stay in touch and visit.

When I we got home from college the next summer, our friendship resumed, but the way I had treated her a year earlier weighed on me. When I apologized, Erin just said, "We can forget it. Thanks for apologizing." And that was it. It has never affected our relationship since. She has always been an amazing friend, never once holding that mistake against me.

Any time I deal with someone who has hurt me, I think of Erin's reaction, and I try to be as strong as she was in just letting it all go.