We live on front porches and swing life away..

I'm in the mood to atone for my past.
I want to do something that scares me every day. I want to not take life as seriously. I want to be less worried about what other people think and just go with my gut.

And all of that is fine, and it's good, and that's where I am. But what about this:
It's good to want to fix your past mistakes, but what if your past mistakes just want you to leave them alone and let them move on with their lives?
I think a lot of times we're more self-centered than we realize. Even in the times we think we're being LEAST self-centered. Sometimes I think it's those times when we can be the most hurtful.
We think--and when I say "we" here, I'm mostly saying "I"--that other people's lives hinge on our own person. That when you hurt someone or burn a bridge or make the executive choice to move on from someone or some situation, they are eternally hurt or confused by the power your just exerted. And that when you finally have some perspective and can come back, cool and calm, mature and ready to make amends, they should see the great favor you are bestowing upon them and be happy.
But they don't have to accept your olive branch...and sometimes, just the very presence of you trying to rehash old issues does more harm and brings more pain than if you had just stayed out in the first place.
So where do we draw the line...? How do we decide when we have the RESPONSIBILITY to take action and when we just have to accept the damage that has been done and actually do something BETTER by just leaving it and walking away?

Sometimes, I guess I just realized...Sometimes forgiveness, apology is more about YOU than the other person. And something--making amends--that we normally consider a GOOD thing can actually be far more painful than doing nothing at all.

Sadly, I think this question has been more relevant to my life lately..I've needed a lot of forgiving.
This kinda came out of nowhere..but I think that's sometimes how I stumble upon my greatest truths.
I want to write something about home and how I've changed...I'm getting there, too.