Chrissy....you and I met recently so we have a clean slate. I see in you a genuine lady, one who is not afraid to admit they were wrong and I sincerely hope that whoever you are apologizing to will accept the hand you offer in friendship.....just because it's the right thing to do. Your post has interesting timing as I will be going to a neighborhood party tonight and there will be two gals there that I have been on the "outs" with for more than a year. There is no way we can pretend not to see each other. I hope both you and I have the same outcome....that being a happy reunion.
Good luck, Missy and thanks for your kind words. I'm usually a nice person but you know how it can get on forums and I really just want to start over... I'm tired of avoiding posts that might interest me or I have something to say but don't because so and so posted it, etc.
Some people want to mend fences, and some people want to burn bridges, and there is not much we can do about those things, in my opinion. I like what @Ken Anderson always says about try not to be offensive, and try not to be too easily offended. Both of those things will go a long way towards keeping the peace. We all say things that we wish we hadn't said, or someone takes something differently than we meant it when we said it. I know that I have stuck my foot in my mouth more often than I intended, and I am always thankful when I can apologize and the person will forgive me. Sometimes people will forgive and go on with life, and sometimes, people just want to carry the grudge, and there really is nothing we can do about their decision once we have tried to make peace.
I'm glad I apologized, have wanted to for awhile. Have done it privately with a few but I'm not forcing anyone to accept it. I was wrong to do what I did and said at the time and I'm sorry for that. I can't take it back though or undo it. I'm even willing to say it was all my fault but there's really nothing else I can do. I did it publically because I'm done with PMS except for a few. Speaking of @Ken Anderson , I apologize to him for the headache I caused at the time. He handled it well...sign of a caring and good admin.
The two words "I'm sorry" are in the English language for a reason. Even more powerful are the words "Apology accepted" as they bring a whole new meaning to forgiveness which lightens the burden for all.
My observation (for whatever it is worth) is that a lot of times, it depends on where a person's focus is at. When a person is focused on themself, to the exclusion of caring how the other person feels, then they often only see that they have been hurt and do not try to put themself in the other person's shoes and see their side of things. When we can shift our focus outside of our own self, and also care about the person that hurt or offended us, then we can also feel their pain, and try to repair the damage that happened to both people involved. I think that sometimes it is very hard (or even impossible) for a person to focus outside of their own pain and anger, and all you can do is give them time and hope that they can work though their feelings enough to forgive and go on with the friendship.