forgiveness gift

A Gift For Ourselves
One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to class. For every person we'd refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.
We were then told to carry this bag with us every place we go for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next to our desk at work.
The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay attention to it all the time lest we forget, and keep leaving it in embarrassing places.
Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime. This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for holding on to our pain and the heavy negativity that goes with it.
Too often we think of forgiveness as our gift to the other person, and while that's true, it clearly is also an even more important gift for ourselves.
- A Better Day newsletter - ftabd@mac.com