You could say that life has unintended consequences.  I know that this is definitely true some of the time.  But, deciding what to do after something goes wrong is often quite difficult.  

When one is in this situation, questions constantly appear in your mind.  “What just happened?”  “What did I do wrong?”  “How do I fix this?”  

As for myself, on occasion I do or say something and it is taken differently than I expected. Sometimes, I insert a comment when it was not solicited.  Other times, I try to help when no one has asked for it and maybe that person is offended by my gesture.  The intention of what one does and how it is received are two very different things.

When this happens to me, I want to back up and do it all over again.  But we can’t do that, can we?  We must wait and see how the other person reacts.  Then, and only then, should we consider what to do next.

One thing I have learned, is that sometimes the best thing to do, is “nothing.”  But we are usually uncomfortable with the silence that is required for this, aren’t we?  Actually, I have experienced the power of silence and have found it to be profound.  

At times, the situation that has developed, just can’t be fixed.  That’s when one must just face the consequences and hope that resolution will happen sometime in the future.

I wish that I could always say and do the most appropriate thing.  But that is impossible.  We just have to do the best we can and hope for the best.  I often say that I do my best everyday, but sometimes my best is pretty darn good and sometimes it’s terrible.

Nobody’s perfect.  I know that I most certainly am not.  However, I believe that most of the time people can sense your good intentions, if not immediately, perhaps at a later time.  That matters.  And hopefully, that is what other people will remember, after all is said and done.