The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show

Host: The soft golden light of late afternoon filtered through the café’s windows, casting long shadows across the table where Jack and Jeeny sat. Outside, the streets were alive with the last rush of the day, the hum of cars and people blending into the background. Inside, the world felt slower, quieter—a place where thoughts could drift and find a gentle place to land.

Jeeny, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup, sat quietly for a moment before speaking, her voice measured, almost thoughtful.

Jeeny: “I read something today by Jane Fonda. She said, ‘The people who did you wrong or who didn’t quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgiving them allows you to forgive yourself too.’ Do you think that’s true?”

Jack: His eyes flickered briefly, his expression guarded, before he took a slow sip from his mug. “Forgiving people who’ve wronged you? That’s not always as easy as it sounds, Jeeny. Some things are harder to forgive than others. Some people aren’t worth the forgiveness. You can’t just forgive everyone and move on, right?”

Host: The quiet of the café surrounded them, the distant sound of rain beginning again, a light drizzle tapping against the windows. Jeeny’s gaze remained steady on Jack, her voice calm, but there was a depth in it, like she was carefully considering her words.

Jeeny: “I think it’s less about them, Jack, and more about you. When you hold onto resentment or anger, it eats away at you. It doesn’t change what they did—it doesn’t erase the hurt. But forgiving them allows you to free yourself from carrying that weight. It’s not about forgetting what happened, it’s about letting go of the power they still have over you.”

Jack: He set his mug down, his expression sharpening, a trace of skepticism still lingering in his voice. “But how do you forgive someone who doesn’t even apologize? How do you forgive when it feels like you’re giving them something they haven’t earned? Doesn’t it feel like you’re letting them off the hook, just brushing it aside?”

Host: The world outside blurred by the rain, the dim glow of the café offering a gentle contrast. Jeeny’s gaze softened, the steadiness of her voice unshaken by the tension in Jack’s words.

Jeeny: “Forgiveness isn’t about them, Jack. It’s about you releasing yourself from the hold they have on you. It’s about finding peace. It doesn’t excuse what they did, it doesn’t mean they’re off the hook. It just means you stop letting their actions control how you feel. You forgive not for them, but for your own freedom.”

Jack: He shifted in his chair, looking out the window, the rain blurring the shapes outside into something softer. “I don’t know… It sounds too simple. I’ve been hurt before. Some things don’t just disappear because you decide to forgive them. Trust gets broken, promises are shattered. How do you forgive that? How do you move on from something like that?”

Jeeny: “It’s not about moving on like nothing happened. It’s about healing. And healing doesn’t happen by holding onto the hurt. You forgive because it allows you to stop reliving the pain every day. You forgive because it’s the first step in letting go of the anger and the bitterness that you carry. And that’s where the real freedom comes. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way to move forward.”

Host: The café seemed to hold its breath, the rain outside now a soft curtain that blurred the world beyond. Jack’s gaze lingered on Jeeny, something shifting behind his eyes, like her words had begun to crack open something he had long held closed.

Jack: “And what about forgiving yourself, Jeeny? What if you’ve been holding onto your own mistakes? How do you forgive yourself when you feel like you’ve let yourself down?”

Jeeny: “I think it all starts there, Jack. Forgiveness isn’t just about others—it’s about you too. When you can forgive those who’ve wronged you, you start to realize that you’re human, too. You make mistakes, you fall short. But holding onto guilt only keeps you in the past. When you forgive yourself, you allow yourself to grow, to move forward.”

Jack: He leaned forward slightly, his fingers drumming on the table, but his expression had softened, his walls beginning to shift. “Forgiving yourself, huh? That’s the hardest part, isn’t it? Letting go of the guilt, the feeling that you could’ve done better, been better.”

Jeeny: “It’s not easy, no. But you have to give yourself permission to heal, just like you give others permission to make mistakes. It’s about accepting that you can’t change what’s already happened, but you can choose to grow from it. You can choose to be gentle with yourself, to move past the shame and the regret. And when you forgive yourself, you stop being stuck in the past. You can finally be free.”

Host: The rain outside began to soften, its steady rhythm now a quiet backdrop to the stillness inside. Jack’s expression had shifted, his earlier cynicism replaced with a quiet reflection. Jeeny’s words had worked their way into him, subtle and persistent, like a soft light finding its way through the cracks.

Jack: “Maybe I’ve been holding onto more than I realized. Maybe it’s time to let go of some of that weight. For me, not for anyone else.”

Jeeny: She smiled, a soft knowing smile, the kind that didn’t require any words to explain the connection they shared. “Exactly, Jack. Forgiveness isn’t about the other person. It’s about you. Letting go so you can finally breathe. So you can finally move forward.”

Host: The world outside had faded into a quiet blur, the rain now a distant memory, as Jack and Jeeny sat in the soft silence of shared understanding. The weight of forgiveness—both for others and for oneself—had settled between them, like a quiet, gentle truth. And in that moment, it was clear that the path to healing wasn’t just about forgetting the past, but choosing to move forward with the courage to release the pain.