Walking Away From Shame
Shame.
Five simple letters.
One complicated word.
For many of us, shame has been a constant companion for as long as we can remember.
It has been the thing we try to avoid at all costs.
Shame.
You probably know the feeling.
Something or someone reminds you of some mistake from your past and suddenly shame washes over you, turning your stomach into knots, leaving your cheeks red with embarrassment, and making the air around you thick with regret.
Shame.
When it hits, you want to run away, wash the feeling away, hide from the world until it is gone.
But, maybe some of that shame is misplaced.
I’ve carried shame around with me tied to so many mistakes I’ve made and one in particular hit me like a ton of bricks the other day.
All at once I was back there — remembering what it was like to be a teenager caught making a mistake.
Until last week if you had asked me about that day, I would have felt nothing but shame —
because that’s how I was told I should feel about it.
Shame.
Regret.
