Fifteen-plus years ago I started working professionally as a Forrest Gump impersonator/look-alike/tribute artist. I’ve used the expression ‘gump-like’ thousands of times to describe a person, one of their attributes, or to define an interaction that occurred between myself and another.
Forrest Gump had many admirable and notable character traits. One of those traits was Forrest’s ability to forgive. Being gump-like is being able to accept others’ humanness, forego blaming, and just let bygones be bygones.
Gump-like is being forgiving.
Forgiving as in letting go.
Forgiving as in not playing the blame game.
Forgiving as in accepting apologies.
Forgiving as in allowing for others’ imperfections.
Forgiving as in bearing no malice.
Forgiving as in being willing to wipe the slate clean.
Forrest let go when he said good-bye to Bubba.
Forrest didn’t blame God when Bubba, Momma, or Jenny died.
Forrest accepted Jenny’s apology when she said,“I was messed up for a long time.”
Forrest allowed for Lt. Dan’s imperfections when he was angry and drunk.
Forrest didn’t bear malice against the school boys when they threw rocks and verbal stones.
Forrest was willing to wipe the slate clean whenever he started a new life chapter.
Being forgiving means letting go.
Being forgiving is to ban blame.
Being forgiving is to accept others’ admissions.
Being forgiving is to recognize others as they are … and for who they are.
Being forgiving is the absence of vengeance/(or worse) hatred.
Being forgiving is turning the other cheek.
Being forgiving is being gump-like.
If someone said,“You are ‘gump-like’!” … would you take it as a compliment? I do.
Are you choosing to live a gump-like life?
Next Blog Title: Being Gump-like (Part 7)
Next Blog Date: January 2, 2012