By Megan Erbacher
The Message assistant editor
As I was out shopping with my mom around Christmastime, I bought myself a new purse. We ventured into a new store, and I fell in love with their bags. So, after a little nudge from my mom, I treated myself to one.
This past weekend, Steve and I were dining out with some friends, and as I sat my purse down it fell off my shoulder a little too easily. I looked down and noticed the strap was broken. One side slipped completely out of its stitches.
Ah man, what a bummer! My beautiful purse was broken. The purse isn’t even two months old, and it’s not like I have it overstuffed with things that would cause an issue. What should I do now?
As I write this, I haven’t had a chance yet to return to the store to see if there’s a way to contact the manufacturer or to repair the broken strap. But the purse made me think about other broken things in life; in particular, relationships.
When the strap broke I immediately started to rack my brain for solutions to my problem. I didn’t want to give up on the possibility of repairing my purse.
Why don’t we treat other situations in life with the same persistence? If we are so quick to repair material things, why wouldn’t we have the same drive to repair relationships?
We often allow disagreements with friends and family to damage and, sometimes, ruin relationships; but why? I so eagerly wanted a quick-fix for my purse, but sometimes when I feel someone has wronged me I hold a grudge against them.
Why do I do this? To be honest, it probably hurts me more than the other person. I do think some people are toxic to us. While those relationships maybe can’t be fixed, discussing the situation with a trusted friend or your priest may prevent feelings of resentment and help you understand why they are toxic.
This past year has shown me how quickly life can change. Losing a best friend who was barely 30 years old causes you to view life differently. I always knew life could change in the blink of an eye, but it is much more evident now.
I love this quote from Jim Henson, an American animator, actor and creator of The Muppets, “Please watch out for each other, and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.”
Maybe we can all benefit by spreading a little extra love and forgiveness. After all, it is a good life, and we never know how long or short it will be; so shouldn’t we fully enjoy it while we’re alive?