One Moment of Patience

Today at work, I was agitated with someone who just wasn’t getting things done.

In that same moment, I remembered another task that was stuck. So I called the person handling it to understand where things stood.

I could have spoken like a sensible person. Instead, I started lashing out. All the anger I had for the first person landed on the second.

The call ended. And then, the realization hit me. By then, I was already drowning in guilt.

I couldn’t take my mind off it. As damage control, I started texting him. Being extra friendly. Trying to keep the conversation light. Somehow hoping he’d forget I had been rude. The whole day went by replaying that one call.

One moment where I could have controlled my tone. Instead, I suffered the whole day.

And he didn’t even deserve it. He just happened to be the next person I called.

Maybe the better recovery wasn’t being overly friendly. Maybe it was a simple, honest “sorry, I was out of line.”

Anger takes a second to let out, and a whole day to live with.

One moment of patience and self-control is all it takes :)