Dear Self,
I forgive you. I forgive you for being imperfect. I forgive you for being human. I forgive you for making mistakes. I forgive you for being flawed.
We all make mistakes from time to time. And I've said it before, but I'll say it again - sometimes things that seem small carry with them the potential to grow into something wholly out of proportion. So what have I learned?
Don't bait the lion. Sometimes people disappoint us. Sometimes people aren't who we thought they were. That's okay. Apologize when it's due. And forgive them, even when they are not sorry.
But absolutely do not take it personally. You are not the type of person to ever act in a way that would intentionally hurt someone. One of the most important things to you is making other people feel good about themselves. So you screwed up this time. You hurt your friend's feelings. You apologized. You did your best to put your actions into context. And that's all you can do. The unintended consequences - those are out of your control.
Dear You,
Sometimes I fuck up. I'm human. Sometimes I make dumb, thoughtless decisions. And sometimes those decisions hurt the people I care about. If I ever make one of those decisions, and it impacts you, please remember these words: I care about you. I have no intention to ever hurt you, and I never will. That's not who I am. But should the day come when I do hurt you, I promise I will always apologize, and I promise I will never stop caring. Even if you can't forgive me.
Love,
Me