“Dentopedology is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it. I’ve been practicing it for years.”
\nI was astounded to find that Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh is the author of that quote. We must be related. I would have thought that, given all the years that Prince Phillip has been a public figure, that he would have learned how to cope with this problem, but it seems not.<\/p>\n
\nClose to 20 years ago, I had to attend the funeral of a close friend. Her children thanked me for coming, and I murmered that it was my pleasure. The words were barely out of my mouth when I must have looked horror stricken. I apologized immediately, and beat a hasty retreat. Later, I sent a letter recounting my favorite memories of her, hoping that their lasting memory of me wouldn’t be for my social gaffe.
\nMy best advice to you is to apologize swiftly and sincerely, and then change the subject!
\nI’ve learned the hard way to be cautious about what I say in e-mail as well. I have a quick temper, and usually my first response to a difficult situation is one that needs to be stifled. It’s fine to write that mail and get the irritation out of your system, but wait for a day before sending it. If you’ve inadvertently sent an inappropriate message to the wrong person, or even worse, to the person you were writing about, there’s nothing to do but fess up. When possible, do it in person, rather than by e-mail. It could just give you the spring board to clear the air concerning the situation that lead you to write the e-mail in the first place.
\nTrust me…..I’ve learned from experience!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“Dentopedology is the science of opening your mouth and putting your foot in it. I’ve been practicing it for years.” I was astounded to find that Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh is the author of that quote. We must be … Continue reading