Too late to apologize?

Pulling a topic of interest from one of the most digitally downloaded songs ever, Apologize by One Republic, I feel the need to reply to the statement -"It's too late to apologize, it's too late...."
With the changing of the season and a new lunar year upon us, I think it's important to renew our sense of hope in life, love, and relationships; not only our relationships with others but ourselves too. Starting over with a clean slate seems like an impossible dream sometimes, but we can move closer to that goal by mending, absolving, and clarifying relationships that are in "disrepair".
So the question remains, is it ever too late to apologize? Sources I've read strongly recommend sincerely (and sincerely being the key!) apologizing and asking for forgiveness for a wrongdoing at least three times. Even if the offended party has passed away, the person should make the effort of going to their grave and asking for forgiveness. Of course, it is also a given that the person being asked for forgiveness relent and accept the apology.
While this methodology may seem strange at first, the beauty of it is the peace it can create for both parties involved.
Being humble enough to ask for forgiveness is such a fantastic quality as well as the ability to completely forgive someone without holding on to grudges - this is the stuff a better world is built upon.
I am not saying that this business of apologizing and forgiving is an easy task! I am just pointing out some of the magical aspects of what the actions could produce.
Apologizing to someone, even if they have passed away and may not ever know that you did, allows for closure for forgiveness for yourself. If you never get the forgiveness that you ask for, at least you know in your heart of hearts that you tried. If you are the person who is unable to forgive fully, it is worth making the effort since you should not want to carry that anvil around in your heart.
People make mistakes and some worse than others; it's one of the foundations of humanity. The ability to be humble and the ability to forgive are what elevate us up from this human condition. Sorry Ryan Tedder, I am going to have to disagree with you, it's never too late to apologize, and it's never too late to forgive.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs....

“Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality . Wake Up and Live!” - Bob Marley

If the title reminds you of a song, you would be be on the right track. Last week I started having ideas about paying attention to "signs", and the song came into my head luckily b/c it kept begging me to remember to write this post. The weekend came and more readings and teachings ensured that I would indeed display my thoughts.
When I say signs, I mean the kind of signs that point us in the direction of where we are going in our lives - for better or for worse. I don't even mean superstitious signs like black cats, but intuitive signs. The above quote was something I found in my current "quoting Bob" kick, but it rang so true to my current thoughts. There are many times when we confront a situation and ignore something inside that tells us an answer that is oppositional to how we want to react and we act accordingly. It is only later that we realize that the inner "gut" feeling was actually correct. Obviously, this is not true all of the time, but it happens frequently enough to have me pondering.
Many people become trapped in this type of thinking though, myself included. So I guess a question to ask is, "How do I apply this information?" Instead of always looking back and seeing the mistakes, how do I implement or utilize this inherent sage? Two things comes to mind: living in the present moment and looking for the positive. These are the two teachings I take away from the past two weeks. I have to open myself up to not letting past mistakes or too much worry for the future rule current judgement calls. I have to see the good in the situation at that moment, not be blinded by suspect motivations, and not let the negative consume all traces of positivity. We have to do the best we can with the good we are given at that moment since there is no guarantee of tomorrow.
The signs are always there, sometimes I miss them and I have to go back or take the next exit, but maybe next time I'll pay attention to the TomTom.

Circles and Cycles

My very first post! With excited nervousness I am trying to put together something worth reading, but even more so, something worth remembering. I am chronicling experiences that I hope to look back on that will show growth, but also keep me humble.
The past few years have come with so many mind blowing changes, all of which have brought me to an explosion of ideas, hopes, and savory experiences; thus the title of the blog. I wanted to call it "coming full circle" but it occurred to me that that would be limiting my potential for more. This of course is the work - becoming more myself and being in the world and not of this world. Taking in that which life has to offer and giving back to the world in a way that is uniquely me.
A few years ago, I hit a wall. Profound events, some good and some bad, had me wondering who I was and where I was going. Motivated by these experiences, I looked within and decided that it was time to explore what it was that I could do to be more the person I wanted to be and not what others thought that I was or should be. Okay, so maybe I'm always going to have to work on this particular thing, but I wanted to figure out what I was good at and be content to do these things on my own terms.
I went back to school after a decade long hiatus. People ask me for what, and I say psychology - I also say that I could change my mind and do something else. I'm still working on pinpointing careers but I am okay with not knowing which is awesome because I am a planner. P.S. Still working on being more spontaneous.....
I took Life Coaching courses. This was something that was unexpected, but it felt right because anything that has to do with relating to people I am interested in. What could be more satisfying than working with someone on building their lives and fulfilling their potential!
I went back to yoga. I am not what I would consider to be an athletic person by nature (something else I'm working on). The mind and body connection in yoga works for me. It makes me feel strong, elegant, and spiritual all at the same time. What more could I ask for?!
In a nutshell, all of these things have worked together to make me more of what I want to be, and that is simply a better me. I forgot for a time, but luckily for me things come back around again ;) I am going to utilize what I've been given, give back what I can, and hope the world is the better for it.