We have all been hurt by people in our lives. In fact, we have all hurt people ourselves, whether we meant to or not. It's life. We all make mistakes, do things we know we shouldn't have done, say things we shouldn't have said, hurt people we shouldn't have hurt.

But do we all own up to these mistakes? These poor choices? Do we all express the guilt we feel?

If i could write a list of the people who have hurt me in my life who have not acknowledged the pain they caused me nor apologized for it, I would run out of ink. Now I want to make it clear that I would never want someone to forcefully apologize to me, I would want it to be genuine and honestly, out of the blue. I like being caught off guard, and I never think it is too late to apologize as long as it is genuine and real.

I'm sure many of you are waiting for an apology from a list of people as well. But why do we wait for something, we know we shouldn't even bother expecting?

Yes, it would mean so much to us, for the people who really hurt us to just express how sorry they are, but in reality, that's not always going to happen. It feels like the more you expect it the less of a chance it's actually going to happen.... Not everyone expresses their guilt, or even has any to feel. So the best thing you can do is accept the apology you never received.

It is so toxic for us to wait around for an apology that will most likely never come. It is not fair to ourselves to carry around that negative energy, when the ones who hurt us don't seem to be carrying anything from it. Instead of expecting, how about we just accept and come to terms with the fact that the person who hurt us does not feel the need to acknowledge their faults. Because at the end of the day that is what it is. A matter of not wanting to admit that they hurt someone. It is not our fault that they do not want to take responsibility for their actions and how it has affected you. A lot of times, the reason we don't hear that apology we deserve, is because the person does not want to think about the guilt or the pain they caused you. If this person has any empathy at all, I'm sure they realize what they have done. There are also people who don't realize the pain they have caused, and in those cases, I suggest you express how they made you feel. But even I know, with a lot of the apologies I deserve, there are many of them who know they hurt me, and have avoided the well deserved apology.

Although it hurts, you should not hold a grudge for it. You should not wish bad upon them. That only does ourselves damage, not them. The best and most healthy thing you can do for yourself is accept the apology you never received and move on from it. Holding onto that energy and waiting around for something that will not come, is exhausting and unhealthy. Just like we know we deserve that apology, we should know that we deserve to be freed from the pain they have caused us. When you hold onto that unexpressed apology, you're also holding onto the pain that you've felt from it. Treat yourself better than that. Forgive. Not for them, but for yourself.

And if you ever get to be lucky enough to receive that long due apology, accept it. Be thankful, and move on. Even if you want to just yell at them!! Don't bottle up that negativity, or let it come back out. Release it, and tell yourself it is not worth holding onto. We are truly only hurting ourselves by holding on. Accepting things we cannot control is so good for us. I can't express that enough.

So to whoever you are, I am sorry. I am sorry that you did not get the apology you deserve. I am sorry you spent so much time wondering why they didn't care. I am sorry you had to go through what you did. I hope that can be enough for you, because I recognize that I am not the only one who has waited for an apology that has never came. Let's be better to ourselves. We deserve it, after all.

I highly suggest that if you know that you have hurt someone, and know they have suffered from it, you really should apologize whether you get the outcome you're looking for or not.Whether its been a year from now or five. It is selfish to not own up to the things we know we did wrong. Stop protecting yourself, and try to have compassion for the ones you've hurt. We can't possible realize every single person we have hurt in our lives, but the ones that come up in your mind after reading this, are the ones you should probably reach out to. It is never too late to be honest and sincere, at least that's what I believe. Maybe it will feel good. But even if it doesn't, try it. It could make a huge difference in that person's life.