WHAT did you say??

It always amazes me how the printed word can differ so much that the same spoken words.

I was trying to make my feelings known in an email to someone close to me. Trying to get my point across, I ended up befuddling the my OWN thought-process and, quite frankly, ticking the person off (to put it mildly).After a while I didn't even know WHAT I myself was trying to say. What WAS my point? Did I even HAVE one?

When I was able to SPEAK my thoughts to this person, completely different result! I was understood and what I had to say was taken as a positive rather than a negative. I made my point clearly and the animosity of the day faded away as quickly as it came. Phew! This would be the LAST person in the world I'd want to offend.

It just goes to show how we must always pick our words delicately and that tone, manner, behavior, disposition, etc., are missing in the written word and we have to make up for it by our choices in vocabulary. Pay attention to what YOU receive in writing from now on...emails, text messages, and don't jump to conclusions. It's a good lesson. Some of us aren't as well-versed as others and we'd appreciate a little forgiveness. If you don't understand something or have doubts, JUST ASK! You'll notice fewer hurt feelings and less guilt. We've also all gotten so used to "abbreviated text"...instant messaging, text messages, tweets, etc., that we carry it to other areas of our lives, sometimes inappropriately with disastrous results!

Sure, none of us is perfect, but at least we're trying! It's the effort that counts!