Olive Branches

The last couple of years of my life have been spent reflecting on myself, my life and the people in it, and all the events that have shaped who I am as a person. It’s not been an easy journey, and not always rewarding, but I have definitely grown.

In my struggle to learn about and improve upon myself, there have been several times when I’ve felt it necessary to reconnect with different people for different reasons. I’ve learned that extending the proverbial olive branch does not always yield the outcome we desire.

Sometimes the olive branch wilts like a bad handshake. Sometimes it is dry and brittle and crumbles at your touch. Sometimes the other person doesn’t grab it; or worse, they grab it and smack you around with it. And occasionally, olive branches have thorns. Thorns are unresolved issues you haven’t been able to work through or learn to ignore. We skate around these uncomfortable issues just long enough to realize that sometimes it may have been better if you’d never extended that olive branch at all.

I am all for forgiveness and second chances, and I encourage you all to welcome second chances. However, keep in mind that regardless of what the reason was, you stopped speaking to this person for a valid reason, and one you will be reminded of as soon as you make contact again.
So, extend that olive branch, just watch out for the thorns.