The Shoreline

There is a beautiful line in the 2012 movie "Act of Valor" : " Every man has a code of ethics, an ethos. It is his shoreline that gets him home each time, and believe me, we all want to go home". I know this wisdom was in reference to the code brave soldiers follow, but I think its depth applies to life in general. The words kept coming back to me today, perhaps because the other side of human nature was on my mind, the one that at times gives in to weakness, to poor decision making and to having to come to terms with the consequences of such acts. We have all been there, for one reason or another. I know I have. To me, the best part about such a situation is to get to the other side of it, and to realize you are OK, that all is fixed, forgiven, understood and we can move on. That was what I was thinking of when I heard those clear and precise words. To be given a second chance, whether for offenses that are minor to serious at the forgiveness of those who love us in spite of our short comings, is sweet homecoming indeed. To be given the opportunity to rebuild your ethos after we bent the rules we were convinced we held sacred is a very cathartic experience, one that can bolster our heart to be kinder, more compassionate and understanding because someone we hurt or disappointed gave us a second chance, forgave us instead of shaming or dismissing us as a hopelessly flawed human being. To me, people that sincerely regret mistakes and move forward with positive attitude and action, are wiser because of that forgiveness. Forgiveness implies that we are trusted to rise to the better part of ourselves in spite of having shown evidence to the contrary in the past. That is simply awesome. To be allowed to leave past mistakes behind and trusted to make the right choices from here on out in matters of importance is very freeing. It calms the heart and brings a quiet joy to the soul. It energizes our determination, keeps our self confidence from becoming arrogant, or frail. Home is not only where the heart is, it is the place where we are allowed to be ourselves, where our strengths and weaknesses have signed a peace treaty that allows us to build on the lessons learned form the past and the resources needed to build the future, and also where the present is not wishful thinking or regrets, but resolve and integrity. With those treasures in our chest, it is hard to get lost too many times. We can adhere to a solid code of ethics, and that shoreline will get us home indeed each and every time, because, yes, we all want to not just go home, but truly, fully be home, not just in body, but in heart, mind and soul. To be forgiven feels amazing, and the best part about that is that to in turn then have a chance to forgive somewhere down the road is a bliss you won't want to miss.