Forgiving is not an easy task, but it's always worth it in the end. Forgiveness will relieve you from whatever pain or grievance you might be experiencing and rid you of the weight that comes from carrying such a burden. We've all heard the adage "forgive and forget". But to me, forgetting just isn't a viable option.

Begrudging people isn't my thing because resentment will never get you anywhere or solve a damn thing. However, I do see the flaw in forgetting. When someone crosses, offends, or hurts you, you have every right to be wary of them. In fact, you should be. Trust isn't something that is easily gained but it is, unfortunately, something that is easily lost.

My deep mistrust in people stems from my father's struggle with alcoholism. Years of uncertainty about whether this time would be different or if this night would end in a screaming match haunted my early childhood. I never knew what to expect or what to believe. With each broken promise, I built another brick and the wall became insurmountable. I consider myself lucky though.

I learned at a young age that you can only truly count on yourself. The only way to weather the storm is not to have a strong anchor, but to become one yourself. Long after my father's sobriety, I began to regard the actions that he couldn't remember as mistakes, and this hardship showed me what I would never perpetuate.

I realized that I was chasing a ghost and that that the only reprieve was to let go. The past was in the past, and that's where I knew it should stay. I have not and will never forget what was real to me or the lessons that I have learned, no matter how harsh they were.

(Hit it, Rafiki.)

Keeping everyone at arms length is just a defense mechanism. Once you learn to accept apologies, even ones you never got, (cliché, I know) you free yourself, you open up space in your mind, and you create new perceptions of the world and the people in it.

Though I have one too many scars to ignore, I try to love and give in abundance, and I offer myself to those I care about because I want to be that anchor. Jim Carey said it best, "You will only ever have two choices, love or fear. Choose love, and don't ever let fear turn you against your playful heart".

So forgive, love, accept and move on. And most of all, look after yourself.