This article is piggy-backing off of another post I saw on the internet that said in 2017, people should start trying to say “thank you” instead of “I’m sorry.” For example, if you forgot to do something important that you committed to, you could say “thank you for being understanding and patient with me” rather than simply saying “I’m sorry.”

Quite frankly I am extremely fond of this idea. It takes a lot of humility and appreciation to be able to find gratitude in situations that should bring about impatience and anger. Furthermore, gratitude and appreciation bring happiness and love to both parties involved. For the person needing to apologize, it allows them to recognize goodness within other people because they keep being patient with them and giving them love despite everything. And for the person accepting the apology, it means a lot to hear praise for your character rather than someone throwing two simple words in your direction.

Imagine if everyone starting being appreciative of other people’s patience and love rather than saying “I’m sorry” without even thinking twice about actually being apologetic. It’s so customary to apologize that often times it loses its meaning. I recently had to cook dinner and run to work right away, so I left my dishes in the sink and said I’d clean them when I was off of work. I came back and my friend had done all of my dishes for me and, naturally, my automatic response was to apologize for leaving them there and telling her she didn’t have to clean up after me. But then I stopped for a second and realized I could find gratitude in this situation, so instead I thanked her for always thinking of others and for being so kind towards me.

Focusing on the good in people rather than the bad in situations can allow us all to nurture stronger relationships with the loved ones we have around us. So, next time you need to apologize for something, take a second to breathe and find something to be grateful for instead.