#10 Apologized

I'm sorry. Two simple words. One big meaning. Arguably two of the toughest words to say to someone. Everyone wishes they'd apologized for something they did or said at some point in their life. Big or small, apologies count for something. I don't think it's ever too late to apologize, contrary to what OneRepublic has to say on the matter. Knowing a person is sorry for something they did can make you feel so much better, no matter how long ago it was. I wish I'd apologized for unnecessarily hating someone in my life. This person never did anything to me but be totally nice and I just hated them. I hated them because of what they indirectly caused me. I wish I could take back the hatred, but at this point, I can't. But I can apologize. If you're reading this right now and if you know who you are, I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to hate you when you did absolutely nothing wrong to me. Moving right along, learning to apologize is a valuable skill for anyone. Being able to swallow your pride and admit that you're wrong is extremely important in this life. Apologizing can make you feel better too. There's something freeing about getting an apology off your chest, kind of like I did just now! Like I said, everyone wishes they'd apologized for something. Here are some of the responses I got to the question: What do you wish you'd apologized for?

"I wish I would've apologized for holding a grudge for more than two years and postponing what could've been a great friendship."

"I wish I would've apologized to my mom for putting her through hell my freshman and sophomore years. I should've realized that she knew more than I thought and that I should've taken more of her advice to heart. I want to tell her sorry for doubting her and causing her many sleepless and stress-filled nights because of our fighting."

"I wish I would've apologized for not swallowing my pride and being there when it mattered most."

"I wish I would've apologized for choosing my friend's ex over her even though I knew how much it upset her."

"I wish I'd apologized to a certain person if I ever hurt him because now I can't apologize to him."

"I feel like apologizing every time I say something mean to someone, especially when I'm just kidding."

"I'm sorry to anyone I ever hurt just because I didn't think about what I was saying."

"I wish I'd apologized for being such a bully to a great friend and making her feel horrible about herself."

"I wish I'd apologized for overreacting."

"I wish I'd apologized for being mean to a certain person in middle school."

"I wish I'd apologized to my sister for not being the best older sister possible. I'd let her know that I love her even if she doesn't think I do. I feel bad about it because I only have so much time with her before I grow up and I feel as if I've made a huge mistake by not having a good relationship with her."

"I wish I'd apologized for not being trusting with my friends and waiting to become close to them."

"I wish I didn't say sorry so much because I take the blame for things that aren't my fault."

"I wish I'd apologized to my parents for being rude, inconsiderate, and leaving them when it's a 'family day' any opportunity I get."

"I wish I'd apologized for excessively picking on my friends."

While these apologies are anonymous, I suspect that some of you will know who some of these apologies are from. That's the beauty of it. Maybe now is the time to say sorry for something you wish you'd apologized for a long time ago. And who knows? Perhaps this can mend fences. Always remember, just as regret has no gender, neither does remorse. I'm sorry. Two small words. One big meaning.