Words and Intentions

If you would like to discover my defects of character, have lunch with my wife, but make sure that it is a very long, leisurely lunch! But in my defense, failing to keep my word is not among my many shortcomings. My “yes” is my “yes,” and my “no” is my “no.” I cannot claim to have always kept my word over the years, but those transgressions occurred in the very distant past. At times, I grumble and kvetch about having made a commitment in haste, but I keep my word, nonetheless.

We have all been there. Someone in our wheelhouse makes a commitment and fails to keep it. He/she cannot meet us for dinner as promised, and typically calls at the 11^th hour to cancel, and then offers a lame excuse, which is a generous way of saying “lied to us.” A contractor promises to be there at 2:00 pm to address an issue at our home and then doesn’t show up, and worse yet, doesn’t even bother to call to reschedule. When we are finally able to chase him/her down, the lie is that “I got tied up on another job, and I couldn’t call you.” In his/her defense, I’m certain that the company cell phone wasn’t in working order!

If we are to be people of unshakable character, this kind of behavior is entirely unacceptable – it is not for us, and as such, we must be very thoughtful about the commitments that we make, otherwise, we will habitually miss the mark, despite our best “intentions.”

No one is infallible, and we will most certainly have a misstep from time to time. But when we do have that inevitable misstep, the person of solid character will stand up and “take the hit,” and promptly apologize with genuine and transparent sincerity, and offer no excuses – aka, lies. Sadly, in our culture, such an individual is rare indeed! The reasons why this fact is so, are subject matter for another PowerShots essay.

For now, I would suggest that we all examine what we say, as well as our “best intentions,” when it comes to making commitments.

Let your “yes” be your “yes,” and your “no” be your “no!”

© John G. 2021