A short while ago, I was slightly displeased with the way a friend handled a situation. While there wasn't any conflicts of interests between us at all, this annoyance simply aggravated enough to blemish the way I see her and eventually the way I reacted towards her.
I started being real impatient around her. I literally had to hold my tongue to prevent slashing argumentative remarks whenever she speaks. While I can get quite blunt at times, hurt a few with my words when I was younger, and have absolutely no qualms about telling off a stranger who pisses me. Frankly, at this age, I'd rarely go out of my way to upset a friend, unless he/she totally cheeses me off. Even when dealing with hopelessly annoying friends, I'd rather choose to distance myself away, then to kick off a confrontation.
I was completely surprised at myself for acting this way. I guess I still lack maturity in handling people behaviour. I really should have tried to put myself in her shoes and try to understand why she did things the way she did. But in my haste to judge her actions, I've actually overlooked the kind of character she has to begin with. She may be headstrong, blunt and somewhat tactless, but at least she has got an honest nature. Yet, I thoughtlessly allowed myself to overlooked her age and hence her perceptions.
While I often remind myself that maturity is a function of age and experiences, and that we behave the way we do simply because we are at the age, I remained hopelessly blinded here. As someone older, I should have tried to patiently counselled her thinkings, instead of allowing my own judgmental opinions get better of me. I should not have expected her to handle things with an approach neither of her age nor nature. Yes, I am disappointed in myself.
Nevertheless, this is an important lesson well-learnt. I will become more considerate. I will learn to be more diplomatic. I will learn not to let my personal opinions manipulate my mind. I must become a wiser person. While I also need time to cultivate my own maturity, I must allow my friends time to nurture theirs too.
