Always apologize if you hurt someone’s feelings, even if you didn’t mean to or were unaware of it happening.  If you find out that something you said or did made a person embarrassed or hurt or sad, it doesn’t matter what you think happened.  If you want to be a good person, think of the “golden rule.”  “Do unto others . . .” is always going to be a good guide for a compassionate response.

I repeat, it doesn’t matter what you think you did, or what happened.  Having to be “right” or think you are right, without regard to another person’s perception or feelings isn’t a good quality in a person.  Instead, it smacks of conceit.  If that is your intent, you should probably stop reading this blog.

Sometimes, we are not aware of what we have done to hurt someone, and that can’t be helped.  But if one is sensitive and looks at another person’s body language, one can sometimes see or feel what has happened.  In any event, be the person who errs on the side of kindness and a concern for others.

I have had the experience of unwittingly saying something that made a person feel sad.  I had no idea about something that happened to that person which caused them to become upset.  I had to apologize when I saw the effect of my words, even though I didn’t know what caused such a painful reaction.  And the apology had a way of easing the other person’s distress.  Intention is key to how another person feels.  Doing something hurtful, without understanding why is understandable.  And should you find out, long after time has passed, remember there is no statute of limitation on an apology.

I am sure that this type of situation must have occurred at other times in my life as well.  Sometimes, there is no visible clue that a person’s feelings were hurt.  That makes me feel sad.  But such things can’t be helped.  All I know for sure is that erring on the side of concern and kindness is what a person can do to try and make a person feel better.  I guess it all boils down to intention.  And that matters, if you want to be the best version of yourself.  It’s a worthy goal for every one of us.