Your message is in my archive

Do you at times, quickly redirect a message to spam, trash or my personal favorite, ‘archive’?

I do. I find it very fulfilling actually. I’m perhaps what you’d call a procrastinator when it comes to replying of messages.

I play around with the reply in my head; and taste the words of my premeditated reply on my mouth.

I get the flash of excitement in my eyes when I’ve finagled my way to a tangy reply.

What savour should I give them? A sweet undertone, a complicated answer or a nasty reply? Again, I do have a personal favourite, and it’s called, ‘a taste of your own medicine.’

Life has enlightened me that, if: ‘you have nothing good to say, don’t say it’. Nonetheless, it’s good to be brazen sometimes, otherwise your rights may get trampled on. Outspoken people tend to get what they want because: ‘if you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it’.

However, it’s wise to choose what you’re being audacious about. Think of the aftermath.

Will my words mean: the end of a friendship or of a job?

I’ve put my foot in my mouth before when I did not anticipate the fallout.

There’s definitely a time to speak up and a time to keep mum.

Regret is— when you say words that you can not take back. That’s the thing about words – they are powerful enough to wreck a relationship and they can not be taken back.

A couple of years ago, I learnt of alternative words to soften a ‘no’.

• “That’s sounds like a great idea, but…”

• “That’s sounds like the kind of thing that would be perfect for…”

• “Honestly, I’m not certain about it, could I get back to you?”

• “If only I had the time…”

• “That sounds perfect but…”

• “I wish I’d learnt of this sooner, but…”

Hmmm… What message I’m I trying to convey here? We should learn not to be so crass; we should refrain from hurting others; we should soften the blow; we should reevaluate our words before uttering them; or, silence is golden?

What is for certain is that I do not have a template for each occasion.

Sometimes, words bite!