They say the tongue is very powerful and we should watch what we say to people around us. I remember a incident that happened some years back and till today I regret that I said something like that.
This happened while I was in secondary school, a classmate of mine who I see as my sister and same goes for her, we had a group project given to us by our physics teacher. We have been struggling to coordinate our schedule and divide the work evenly to make it faster and easier for everyone, I wasn't much of a physicist and my friend knew so I took the less stressful part of the whole project.
Now, during one of our meetings that we usually have after school to discuss about the said project, my sister(classmate) decided to change the part I've been working on. I worked really hard to put things in place and all, and I was already stressed and frustrated because I thought I had taken the easiest part not knowing it's difficult. Before I knew what was happening, I got furious and said to her, "you always think you're better than everyone, if you think you can do it better then come and do it?"
As soon as I said that, I felt really bad and regret was all over me. I knew she was hurt as she kept quiet and the room was silent all through our meeting, and it wasn't always like that, I knew I had crossed a line. My other teammates looked uncomfortable, clearly shocked by my outburst.
I wished I could take back my words, Esther was one of the kindest and sweetest girl I knew and she was and is always willing to help anyone and everyone. She didn't deserve my harsh response, especially when she was just trying to improve our project.
The rest of the meeting was really awkward as everyone rushed to finish up also avoiding eye contact in the process. As soon as we were done packing, I dragged my sister aside and apologized to her, she accepted, that how nice and sweet she is.
LESSONS LEARNT
This experience taught me a valuable lesson about the power of words. It taught me to be mindful of what I say, the tongue is really a powerful tool, it can cause a lot of damage or fix the broken. It taught me that once words are spoken they can't be taken back.
Since then I have been mindful of what I say to people, although sometimes, somethings slip from my mouth which isn't intentional. I also learned to walk out of situations that will warrant me talk anyhow or get upset.
I've also become more appreciative of the importance of sincere apologies. While they can't erase what was said, they can be the first step in healing and rebuilding trust.
I'm just grateful that Esther and I were able to move past the incident and remain friends. But it serves as a constant reminder to me of the importance of choosing my words carefully and the lasting impact they can have.
