One of the exercises we use in my stress class for music industry is to learn how to forgive keeping in mind that forgiving does not mean forgetting.

What seemed to irk my students is that some of the people they wanted to forgive didn’t deserve it.

But isn’t that exactly how it is?

Forgiveness is for the victim and my students shared with each other how hard this “stretching exercise” was for them, yes – even harder than giving up their phones and social media for a day.

When they reported back, some were elated that they could get this monkey off their back, others were hopeful that maybe their relationships could have a second chance and some did it but didn’t like it a bit.

One thought worth sharing is that the more we hold on to anger and hurt while not being able to forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it, the more we act like the perpetrator of our unhappiness toward them.

So as one student said, I feel free now with no expectations.

What a wonderful outcome worth emulating.