Lately I have been trying, with varying levels of success, to live by the adage "it is better to be kind than right." Most people who know me well know how much I love to be right, so this has been a struggle, but I believe it is a valuable one. Today someone was very unkind to me. This person was unnecessarily venomous and hurtful to me. I don't wish to rehash the minutiae of the situation, and yes I get that it's annoying when people say, "Hey, Internet, this thing happened but don't ask me about it," but I have a reason for sharing this.
If I have been unkind to you, deliberately or unintentionally, and haven't apologized, I would like to take this moment to sincerely ask your forgiveness. Being verbally attacked was horrible. Standing there and taking it without counter-attacking is something I doubt I could have done even a few years ago. I want to remember how this felt so I can put myself into the shoes of anyone I speak to from now on.
I'm sure I will falter. I'm sure I will lash out. But this experience has strengthened my resolve to be kind, even when my inclination is to be "right."
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