Sorry Seems To Be the Easiest Word

I used to apologize for anything and everything.

I don't anymore.

Like "I love you", saying "I'm sorry" is overused and often used too early, too often, or too quickly. Apologies are issued with the efficiency of an instant message - without thought or care, sometimes, for purpose or meaning.

We apologize for being late even though we know we didn't make the effort to show-up on time. We apologize for making a mess (on the kitchen table, in the bathroom, fill in the blank), yet we left the mess in plain sight after we finished the task at hand. We apologize for suggesting an alternative work idea to what's planned when what is planned clearly won't work.

Those apologies are minor, I would think, compared to apologies that are leveled but never have any true meaning: apologies for affairs when it was clear the perpetrating individual carefully and coyfully rendered their getaway plans; apologies for being rude when aggressive and impolite behavior is the person's SOP; apologies for not living up to our responsibilities when it was clear we agreed to be responsible; and apologies for saying something hurtful when we didn't flinch as we uttered those words.

How many times have you said I'm sorry and actually meant it?

It's a knee-jerk reaction now to say you're sorry without even examining the actions that caused you to utter those words in the first place.

To me, I'm saving "I'm sorry". I will only use those words for something I unintentionally did and am truly sorry for.

I won't apologize for my ideas and thoughts; I won't apologize for being who I am - as I am not perfect and God never intended me to be so, so I won't even try.

And I won't apologize for not apologizing because I want the words to retain their meaning; I want those words to reflect their original intent - because before an apology is issued, I want my actions to speak for who I am as an individual and reflect the morals and values I hold dear to my heart. I want my actions to be clear, honest, and not hurtful.

I want my actions to not require those words because what's the point of apologizing if you keep repeating the same behavior only to hurt someone or even hurt yourself, or to reap success from someone's misery? What good are words with no meaning?

Otherwise, "I'm sorry" simply becomes that - words - and if that's the case, those words do not belong in my vocabulary.