Second chances

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance.

There's nothing like a cold Pepsi with breakfast or a pep talk that hits just right, so I figured this Monday morning was a good day to start with one.

Whether you woke up feeling like you’ve got the world in your hands or the weight of it on your shoulders, I’m here to tell you this: today is a fresh start, another chance.

Yesterday, I was listening to someone talk about how they’ve traveled all over the world. I’m not going to lie—my inner critic hurt my own feelings by reminding me that I haven’t done that yet, even though I want to. The next spiraling thought told me I had failed. Yet, right after that, due to lots of practice, I caught myself and reminded myself that I still have a chance. My life isn’t over. Just because my first few years of adult life haven’t fully gone the way I planned doesn’t mean I’m doomed.

Here’s another deep confession… When I was in high school, I was taught that if you had sex before marriage, such acts were a sin equal to murder and that you’d go to hell for it. So, once I "slipped up" and lost my virginity, I thought I was doomed to hell. I thought it was too late. I was convinced there was no hope for me & by the end of high-school I was pregnant.

I don’t believe in sin or hell like that anymore, but can you imagine if authority figures had spent more time teaching me about repentance and second chances rather than trying to keep me obedient with the fear of failure? How different could that time in my life have been?

Second chances are like oxygen for the soul—always available if you’re willing to take them. Of course, don’t get too crazy and take advantage, because there’s a big difference between genuinely trying to do better and just being a dumbass, but you get the point.

How often do we beat ourselves up over things we didn’t do, mistakes we made, or opportunities we missed? We replay those “shoulda, coulda, woulda” moments in our heads like they’re the soundtrack of our lives. But here’s the truth: no matter how badly you think you’ve messed up, there’s always another chance waiting for you.

Chances don’t always look grand or obvious. Sometimes they’re tiny, like choosing to get your ass out of bed instead of sleeping too late again, or monumental, like saying yes to something that scares the heck out of you. The important thing is this: they’re always there. You’re never out of options unless you decide to be.

Now, I’ll play devil’s advocate for a second and say this: not everything in life can be fixed, and that’s okay. I know it doesn’t feel okay, but let’s sit with this together for a moment. Sometimes the hardest thing isn’t what happened—it’s forgiving yourself and learning how to live in a world where what’s done is done.

When you’re standing in the aftermath of something that feels irreparable, it’s tempting to get stuck. To punish yourself. To replay the situation over and over, imagining what you could have said or done differently. But here’s the truth: staying stuck doesn’t honor anything. It doesn’t change the past. It only robs you of the future.

Start small. Start with today. You don’t need to fix everything to take one step forward. You don’t need to have it all figured out to try again.

Make a choice today to believe in the possibility of something new. If you can’t believe in yourself just yet, believe in life. Believe in the sunrise, in the way seasons change, in the fact that you’ve survived 100% of your worst days so far.

And remember this: life will never stop giving you chances, even if they don’t look the way you expect. The relationship might not be fixable, but you can learn to love better. The opportunity might not come back, but a different one will. The mistake can’t be undone, but you can become someone stronger, wiser, and have more capacity because of it.

Life is full of second chances—and sometimes third, fourth, and fifth ones if you’re stubborn enough (like me). Mistakes don’t mean game over; they’re just plot twists. And honestly, who wants a boring story anyway?

Pick yourself up, let that shit go, and take some action. If it all goes sideways again, just remember: you’re building character… or at least a good story to tell.

Now, go kick today's ass!