highly sensitive power

There, now. You’ve poked the thing with a stick and its haunches are bunching to prepare for a pounce in your direction. You opened your mouth before your brain had a chance to calm down and everyone at the table is staring at you with open mouths, shocked at your immature outburst.

Now’s the time to back away slowly, hands in the air.

Back away from a blunder. Try a rewind.

Repeat after me: “I’m so sorry. That was uncalled for. What I meant to say was….”

You may be surprised at how long the opportunity to retract and re-state lingers. The rush of sickening horror after a nasty flub-up can mask the fact that there’s still time for a softening of the blow.

Backing away opens the view, corrects perspective.

If you’ve messed up, you can still offer a amendment to what you said or did. You can retreat – even for a moment – to consider the situation and the repair, then add – or amend – a mitigating message. In other words, you can make amends.

Regret. Consider. Amend.

{ PEP TALKS deliver a bracing blast of Grace }

Flickr photo: The Wait, by Stephen Brace

Related reading: Pep Talk | Do Right, Differentiation and Intimacy