responding

I received a very irate text message this morning. Irate is probably too nice of a word. It was sent with much malice. Apparently, I inverted my babysitter's phone number and have been texting an 87 year old man. He doesn't know how to text and it is driving him crazy. I'm assuming his daughter came to check on him this morning and he let her her have it.

My body responded with a flush of anger. I thought "How rude...obviously this is a mistake. Why would they be so rude?" I paused. I took a deep breath. I thought about this poor man who was probably given the cell phone by his daughter so he would always have help nearby. I thought about how overwhelming technology is to older people. I thought about the daughter who is probably stressed taking care of an aging parent. I thought about the text reminder beebing all night and probably keeping him from much needed rest.

I replied honestly, with a heartfelt apology and went back to my make-up. Some time passed and my phone beeped. The reply was "Thank you. That was very nice of you." In those moments when I paused and thought about what someone else was experiencing, I changed the situation and I probably changed her day and her thoughts about humanity, if only for a moment.

Always pause and consider what the other person is going through. It's okay to feel angry, but before you react give yourself time to respond instead. Take time to be compassionate, kind and understanding even when someone is nasty, rude or mean to you.