My job has, in the past, given me a lot of opportunities to apologize — chiefly via email. I say in the past because I’ve made a conscious decision thanks to my daily dose of espresso indoctrination to be an honorable Christian and stop making excuses for myself and actually change (“Change, yes we can”).
Therefore I’m a new creature. Therefore my old bad habits are now in the past. Therefore I can say in the past, I’ve had a tendency forget to turn in receipts and fill in time sheets. In the past, I’ve comforted myself by repeating the mantra “I’m creative, not organizational”, but somehow this doesn’t much comfort those to whom I owed receipts and time sheets.
Never one to do the hard thing when I can do the easy thing, I have, in the past, devoted time to figuring out how to effectively apologize over email instead of change my wayward ways. I’m determined in my heart of hearts to change this “hospital at the bottom of the cliff” approach starting last week. I’ve utilized Google notes, Zotero, and lots of prayer power toward this end.
I’ve decided to fill you in on what apology and repentance methods have worked for me in the past. If it can help you in any way, my years of forgetfulness will have been worth it.
I began with the novice “soooooooooo sorry” approach. Then that got old and I now chuckle condescendingly at my young amateur self.
I moved onto something that Angel taught me and that’s worked for a good three years. It goes: “Moshe wake gozai ma sen” I’m told it means, “forgive me for I am lower than dust”. It’s met with marginal success, depending on my superiors disposition and affection for the Japanese culture.
Now a new approach has worked its way into my consciousness. I think I originally got this from The Hollow Blah somewhere and I’m okay with that. Something about imitation and sincere flattery. So here it goes, it’s been working quite well.
“I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes”
It’s actually from Job 42:6 and as effective now as it was then. To attach this to an email is can be cumbersome, so I’ve developed a nifty acronym: IDMARIDAA* It takes a little while to catch on but the the effort pays in the long run.
Happy apologizing.
(*for those who like to use relational tactics to remember things, here’s how I do it in case it helps:
ID = Intelligent Design: A hefty part of my worldview
MARI = Maria: She’s my friend
DAA = is the last letter was D instead of A it would read Dad and….I like my dad)
