Member-only story
[Ouch]
What constitutes an apology?
I live on a densely populated street. Parking is at a premium. It’s not unusual to find cars and trucks blocking one’s driveway.
So, when I heard men talking outside my window, and looked out to see a truck parked in my driveway, I hurried out to correct the situation.
I saw a crew of painters working on the house next door, and I started in on them.
“Guys, I know you have a job to do, but you can’t be parking your truck in my driveway.”
One of the painters calmly replied, “That’s not our truck.”
And, then I noticed that the truck belonged to the carpenters who were adding finishing touches to my front porch, a construction project that had been dragging on for over a year.
Of course, my contractors had never called to tell me that they would be coming by, and I was taken unawares.
Ugh. I felt like a mean witch.
I started into my apology to the painters next door, and found myself going on and on.
I had said I was sorry, but then I found myself trying to explain my actions.
STOP
An apology is a heartfelt “I’m sorry.” An explanation takes away from that. An explanation is an attempt to soothe the ego.
I stopped talking, and went back inside my house.
The next day, a hot and humid scorcher, I set out some cold drinks for the painters. No explanations necessary.
Originally published at https://auntyjean.substack.com.
