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Old 07-06-2013, 10:07 AM
  # 16 (permalink)  
Argnotthisagain
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Rochester, ny
Posts: 405
First thing I thought of when I read your post is a weird "amends" I got, in a WEIRD situation, many years ago.

to make a long story short, I ran into a woman under really unexpected, bizarre circumstances. SO unexpected and weirdly synchronistic.......


Anyway, I knew her from grade school. She was the class bully and led all the kids in a sustained attack on me, for 6 years, till I left for public school.

She made my already hellish life even more hellish. I don't want to hijack your thread any more than I already am, so I don't want to go explaining that mess, but-- let me just say, it was on the extreme end of the Rotten Karma spectrum.

oy vey!

Anyway, her amends was an on the spot thing---there she was at the door, and when we realized who we were looking at, she did her amends.

Problem was, it really didn't acknowledge me and what my experience might have been. It felt more like a self-justification. Her words were, "I need to make amends to you. Sorry. I was going through a hard time" (her parents were divorcing). I felt like she wanted ME to comfort or excuse HER. I sure didn't see any concern for me, that's for certain.

So, I froze. Couldn't think of what to say, but she had no idea what "a hard time" means.


Sigh...didn't mean to hijack (well, maybe I'm not hijacking tooooo bad--you did ask if anyone else had an amends experience), but the REASON I went into it is that, I guess I want to say, there are many kinds of amends. That kind of amends that she did felt more like getting used all over again. She felt virtuous, I'm sure, but there was no awareness of the fact that her actions truly harmed another person.

So, he might or might not be "real" in his amends to you. How would it affect you if it was superficial, and self-serving like that? How would it affect you if it was sincerely remorseful-- aware of you and the harm done?

How fragile are you still feeling over this?

I guess those are all questions to consider. And as izzyrose said, you are *already* bunched up about it. That's kind of a hint, there.
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