Lessons in Life
My Random Act of Kindness Blew Up In My Face
I did it for all the wrong reasons
Connecting with others is difficult for me. I’m awkward, miss social cues, and have a knack for putting my foot in my mouth.
I’ve said insensitive things without thinking, like when my mother-in-law considered moving in with my husband and me and mentioned she would be happy to help out around the house.
“Well, I have been thinking of getting a maid,” I said without thinking.
What I meant, in my brain, was that we would welcome the help because we were working a lot of hours and felt overwhelmed to the point where we were considering hiring someone to help us clean. I didn’t intend to make my mother-in-law feel like all she was to me was a maid, but the cat was out of the bag, and I instantly felt terrible.
My mother-in-law didn’t move in with us at that time but did years later when her health declined. She passed away in our home about a year afterward. I never forgot that horrible remark I had made to her and always wondered if the sting had stuck with her.
Now, to the random act of kindness where, as I have done many times throughout my life, I simply wasn’t thinking, and it rubbed someone the wrong way.