It took a lot of years and a lot of livin' before I realized that forgiveness isn't something you do. Forgiveness is all about what you don't do. You don't wake up and replay the argument when they hurt you, practicing better retorts. You don't think of what they did and said years ago to wound you, while you take a morning shower today. You don't remember, over breakfast, that you were abused and victimized. As you go about your day, you don't agonize over how to "let it go," because you know you should; the self-help books you read and the talk shows you watch and listen to say it's what you need to do.

You don't even think about it anymore. You don't try to imagine changing it. You know you were hurt, once or twice or many times. Lots of people were.

Forgiveness means you live today as if it's a brand new one. Which it is.