No Maudlin Guilt

 Hanging onto guilt is like sweeping the pile of dirt under the rug - on the surface, it looks fine, but one errant kick, and it’s a dust storm. Brushing up all the junk and disposing of it once and for all takes little more effort, with far better results. There will be more crud to sweep up, but it won’t be the same old, same old.

I have treated old guilt like golden trophies - gilt guilt, if you will. It’s as if I must keep it and show it to everyone. “Look at what a loser I am!”, it says. I believe in redemption - for everyone else. Why not myself? Am I that heinous? Hardly. I believe it comes down to whether or not I’m willing to honestly face my shortcomings and then take the necessary actions. Without doing so, I doom myself to maudlin guilt, which becomes my default identity.

No thanks. I choose the higher path - the one where I learn and grow. The one that reassures me that I am worthy of love and capable of change. The path forged by so many courageous souls, past and present. 


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