A Good Friend Is Honest

In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas celebration, I had an encounter with someone where I felt unjustly attacked but I also knew that I offended the other person, even thought I wasn't sure what I did.  Talking to a friend who witnessed the exchange, she very nicely told me that I did sound snippy at the start of the conversation with the other person.  

That immediately changed my perspective.  I knew I was stressed and grumpy, but I thought I'd done a decent job putting it aside to do what was needed.  My friend's words changed my perspective of the situation, and because of that change I was able to sincerely apologize.


The more I thought about my friend's words, the more I wondered if I would have the courage to tell any of my friends they were wrong.  There's not many people I trust to tell me something like that, especially not with kindness. Would my friends trust me to tell them the truth they don't want to hear?  When I offer suggestions for improvement, does the love I have for that person come through?


At Wood Badge, we learned that feedback is a gift - it needs to presented as a gift (spoken with love) and received as a gift (with an open heart).  Another life lesson put to the test by real life!