This time of year always gets me thinking about poor decisions I’ve made and how they affect the people around me.  That’s no coincidence – as a Jew, I observe the holiday of Yom Kippur – the day of atonement, where we don’t eat all day, and apologize for our sins.  And I say “observe” rather than ‘celebrate,” because even though it’s technically called a “holiday,” to the outsider, it doesn’t even come close to resembling what they’d consider a holiday.  That is, of course, until the sun goes down and we celebrate not losing consciousness all day by stuffing ourselves full of bagels and lox.

Bagel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But I digress.

While some of my fellow Jews are posting blanket apologies on Facebook to those they’ve offended this year, I’d like to be a little more specific about things I’ve done this year that might require an apology:

To my sons: I’m sorry for sending you to school with a sandwich made with deli turkey that only smelled questionable when I made a sandwich for myself hours after you’d already happily gone off to school with yours, which I’d made the night before.

To a random person living somewhere near me:  I’m sorry I left dog poop on your lawn.  I turned my head for a SPLIT second while my dog was pooping, and you see, she weighs only 10 pounds, so her poop isn’t always visible to the naked eye.  Plus she makes a run for it as soon as she’s done.  In my defense, I did search for a good five minutes before giving up.  But I’m still sorry.

To my son’s 7th grade teachers: I’m sorry he’s used all of your tissues (which I know you bring in yourself) this week.  He has a cold, and I sent him in with a pack of his OWN tissues, which he brings home every day.  I guess it’s cooler to blow his nose in the front of the classroom than to pull one tissue out of the dainty little pack with flowers on it.

To my dog: I’m sorry for making you wear a Halloween costume.

To my husband: I’m sorry for insisting that I need to watch the end of a “cliffhanger” episode of Honey Boo-Boo when the Knicks are playing.

I’m hoping for a better year ahead.  Wishing you all the same.