When did you last say the words “I’m sorry” to someone after doing something to hurt them? When is the last time you put your pride aside and took the first step in mending a broken relationship? Why is it so much easier to burn bridges than to forgive and move on?

Have you ever lost someone important to you because you were unable to differentiate between self-respect and pride? If you have, you are not the only one. All of us have failed to treat the people in our lives the way that they deserve. We fail to appreciate their value or we let misunderstandings get in the way. For some of us, it may already be too late to make amends and bury the hatchet; others of us, however, still have the opportunity to fix what has been broken and put the past in the past.

It is so incredibly easy to walk away from people and burn our bridges. The difficult thing to do is to work through our problems with other people and solve our issues. Not being held accountable for our words or actions is the easy path, but owning up to our mistakes and looking at things from the point of view of others is the road taken by those of us who have undergone some form of personal growth.

Water under the bridge: something in the past that cannot be undone, but can be forgiven. It is not always easy to break the silence; we act like taking the first step towards someone after a fallout is a sign of weakness, but it is actually a sign of strength. No person becomes small by asking for forgiveness, and every mistake should be apologized for until either forgiveness or a punishment is received. Tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us, and there is no worse fate than losing someone with whom you have unfinished business.

We regret the things that we don’t say much more in life than the words that we do say, and sometimes the chance to fix our mistakes that we think will always be there ends up disappearing much faster than we anticipate. Life is unpredictable, and anything can happen at any moment. All we have is right now, and it is up to us to make the most of it. Put your pride aside. Rather than fixating on the one thing that is wrong, focus on all of the amazing things that were right. Stop holding grudges and let go of the past, because not all bridges are meant to be burned.

Forgive and let it all be water under the figurative bridge.