The choice to forgive

Today's blog post is in honor of my second book in the Choices Series, Forgiveness, which will be available very shortly in paperback.

      Forgiveness, whether it's extended to yourself or someone you know, is a conscious, cultivatable choice. Similar to choosing to be happy even when you're kid backs their car into your new car in the driveway. Say, what? You gotta dig deep some days, and some days even deeper. Forgiving either yourself or the person who done did you wrong follows the same principal. I compare holding onto all the negativity surrounding a painful situation or wrongdoing to living in a windowless, dark, concrete cell. It's manageable, but will your body and psyche emerge intact and healthy? What type of person will you become?

     The neat thing about Forgiveness is the health benefits. The cost you ask? Commitment and stamina. It's not easy to forgive, and the commitment involved is challenging. Some wrongdoings are harder to recover from than others. I'm not making light of the fact how difficult forgiveness can be when the injury is severe. I'm only saying that the health benefits are worth the pain and sometimes agony of commitment. Forgiving someone or even yourself unconditionally increases your life span. Committing to choosing forgiveness reduces tension, anger, depression, fatigue, blood pressure and overall stress. Sounds good to me! Sign me up!