Can I take that back?

Did you ever wish you could put words back in your mouth? Probably most of us do at some time or another. Well, now I wish Mac Mail had a retract feature. Send an email you regret? Simple. Go to the Edit pull down menu and select Retract. Poof. Your email disappears from your recipients in box. Problem solved.

Boy I did it to myself yesterday. Look up faux pas in a dictionary and you will see my picture. With a goofy look on my face. Yep. That’s me. I sent a sincere email to one group of friends that really ticked off another group of friends. I meant what I said, but I did not mean to upset anyone. But I did.

Now I am in the thick of it. Today stunk. It was one of those, I just saw my dog run over by a truck days. The lump in the pit of my stomach. The lack of focus. The embarrassment. The looping soundtrack running through my head telling me how stupid I am.

Here is another thing that is really frustrating. I can’t apologize. I mean I could, but it would be insincere. That would only make it worse. An insincere apology is usually demeaning. Or an insult to your intelligence.

You can’t demand an apology either. Not that anyone asked me to in this situation. Demanding an apology is an attempt to dictate another person’s emotions. I need you to feel bad. Sorry–it does not work. What you would get is one of those, “I’m sorry you are upset” apologies. Does that ever make anyone feel better? That usually works to fan the flames.

Another thing, while I am at it. I feel bad that I have caused other people to react badly. A couple people have tried to retract what they said in response to what I said. It feels great to make other people stumble. In Biblical times I would have already been taken outside the city gate and stoned.