Forgiveness

Several months ago as I was speaking to a friend about forgiveness I felt something inside of me shift and remembered something my spirit knew already. We (people) are all about forgiving others at whatever level necessary in order to free ourselves from the ties or hooks that they have in us as long as we haven't forgiven. In addition to that, do we really want to be sending negative thoughts about that person out? It has been proven to be damaging to their overall health (proven in an experiment and labeled as the voodoo effect), to our own health, and even that of others who just feel it (negative, low energy) when they're in our presence. But what I really got in touch with is how it is so important to remember who we are dealing with first and that is our self. Even forgiving myself is an ongoing process. I go through a day and make choices - some of which work and some of which don't. When I make a choice and experience painful results I hold myself accountable and responsible. Sometimes I keep the energy within me of "What was I thinking?!" "How could I have said/done something so (fill in the blank)?!" Then I am still asking the universe to send it around again for me to figure out whatever it was I was thinking, saying, or doing when I SHOULD have by all rights known better. Of course an opportunity will present itself in order for me to learn to make a different choice. Instead of setting that up so carefully, what if I just say something like "it is done and I forgive myself. I am now free from that cycle." Not sure, but perhaps it's the key to whole new experiences.