"With a Conscience" - "Excuse me?"

 

        It's been a while, but I cannot remember the last time I had to say,  "Excuse me?" to anyone. Maybe it's because I am more aware of my surroundings and when I am out and about I notice the people who are near me.  I am of the mindset that the less excuses we have to make, the less accountability we have to make. Sounds reasonable, yes?  

        But here's the thing...We do not always have to make excuses for what we do.  We do NOT have to apologize for looking out for our own well-being or interests.  We do not have to make any excuse for looking out for ourselves.  When we put ourselves first, the excuses diminish because people develop a respect for that ideal.  We make excuses when we need to be polite.  We make them when we know we have done something inappropriate or "clutzy." In these cases excuses are acceptable.  Accidents happen.  Sometimes the accidents bring us good luck! If we are in the right frame of mind, we can move forward and excuse the incident. We can learn from the incidents too.

        Making excuses does not mean we get to hide the truth.  Excuses should make us admit the truth so we can move beyond the mistake.  Making excuses does not mean we are free from the mistakes we make.  They simply mean, we need to acknowledge them and let them go. There are plenty of "wounded warriors" who can not forgive themselves for their past indiscretions.  This becomes the dangerous part making excuses because we end up waiting for forgiveness when there may not be any.  BUT...Maybe...Maybe we say "excuse me" because we have to say it.  It's a matter of being polite and considerate.  We need to be conscious of our behavior and how our behavior effects those we love and those we meet without warning.

        For myself, those who speak from the heart and ask for forgiveness earn kudos in my book. It's never easy to manuver in this life.  We are faced with so many conflicted situations and forgiveness becomes our way of moving forward.  Excuses matter when they are joined with apologies and the desire to correct the past mistakes.

    Human nature shows us that mistakes and excuses are inevitable.  We are human after all. The concept we must remember is that we are far from perfect as much as we would like to be and that means that the effort has to be made accept the truth and live with it.