“I can’t believe I did that.”

We’ve all been there. 

We’ve done something we aren’t proud of, held the feeling of shame close and suffered as we tried to decide what to do next. It’s usually accompanied by feeling we are the only person who has ever done something so stupid…which means we also feel isolated and alone.

We regret what we did. If it was particularly onerous we may feel remorse. And, because there is (always) a way to turn things around, we may look for a way to repair what has been broken.

The prefix “re” has two meanings in English. It can mean “to repeat” and/or “to turn back”. It can also be used as a way to multiply the force of the word it’s attached to, a way to point to the word and exclaim “THIS!”. 

Re-gret: To weep again

Re-morse: To be bitten over and over.. (something that is gnawing at us)

Re-pent: To regret so much that you are moved to do something about it

The word repentance has become known as strong language. It has been used as a bludgeon or a burden on so many for so long that its original richness may be in danger of being lost—if it hasn’t been already. The Greek word translated into English as “repentance” is metanoia. The prefix meta means “beyond,” hence metaphysics being the study of—or speculation about—what is beyond the natural. The word noia means “thought” or “mind.” Together, however, metanoia means to change your thoughts, to change your mind, to turn in a new direction, to reverse a direction and go a different way. Hello to new directions.

Padraig Ó Tuama, In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World