I typed a line, a sentence, a paragraph, then deleted it. Those words on my page disappeared, and I cannot retrieve them. I can retype them, but I cannot retrieve them. They are forever gone.
There are some things in my life I wish I could forever delete. That stupid thing I said when my jumbled thoughts came out of my mouth much to my embarrassment. The mean or rude words I said in a moment of anger or impertinence. The rash words I said that I regretted. Inconsiderate actions I remember but can’t change.
Some things don’t need deleted—they just need fixed. For instance, I often wish I could revisit past conversations and change part of it to make it better. Maybe leave out some of it or tweak it a little. Change the body language, like the tone of voice, or choose a different word. Change the delivery to make it less harsh. A smile will go a mile, and a frown will go a lifetime.
Thoughtfulness at the beginning of a situation makes a world of difference to the effect on a person; thoughtfulness after the situation is over is too late.
I want to learn to be more thoughtful all the time. Life would be much better if there were no regrets. Nothing needing deleted. Nothing needing fixed.
However, in our human imperfections, that isn’t possible. We can’t delete the things we regret, but we can apologize and work to improve our communications and our actions. Some things can never be fixed, but when it is possible, we should be willing to fix what we can and interact with selflessness and kindness. Then we won’t need to delete things from our past.