Day 492 - True Colors

There must be something in the cosmos that is causing so much angst on SP today. Two of my friends posted major disappointments with SP, having a blog taken down because someone was offended, a mobile app that doesn't work as expected, or just general frustration.

I also upset someone unintentionally with a comment I made on someone's blog post that I thought had another interpretation other than what the writer intended. It wasn't intended to be offensive, but it apparently was, because the friend called me out on my SparkPage. I apologized, and even my apology was offensive. So this friend wrote a blog post today calling me out as someone not worthy of friendship, apparently. (For those of you who follow both of us, yes, it was me who committed such a horrible crime.)

Yes, there is definitely something in the air.

I am nothing if I'm not authentic. What you see is what you get. Yes, sometimes I say things that push people's buttons. Yes, I sometimes see things from a different angle, and yes, I might mention it. But this is me, and you have to accept the whole package. I will not modify who I am for someone else who is bothered by one thing or another.

But that authenticity also comes with responsibility. If I upset someone, I apologize. I apologize for hurting another person, because I am legitimately sorry. If my apology is not accepted or appreciated, well, that makes me sad too, but I can deal with it. I'm a grown up, and know how to behave that way. I do take responsibility for my actions.

If someone were to tell me that I came across differently than I intended, I would thank them for the feedback, ask for clarification if I needed it, and use the information to make me a better person. I hope you'll be honest with me if I say something that upsets you. I won't mind. But let's have a dialogue about it so we can both grow.

But I will warn you now, I will not stop being me, even as I always strive to be a better me tomorrow than I am today. And that might mean saying something that might offend you. If you can't accept my apology, then I will wish you all the best.

Keep Sparking!