words.

picture it.

it's the middle of the day. you're sitting at work, or lounging at home, or in the car running an errand, or jogging on a treadmill at the gym. it's been a relatively good day, no complaints. safe to say even, you are enjoying your day.

your cell phone buzzes with a text, and you reach for it to see which friend or family member set aside their busy schedule for a few seconds to send you a message.

you read the text.

it's not a happy text.

someone is upset with you. someone is blaming you, or attacking you. someone is sarcastic with you, or just simply negative.

and just like that, you aren't enjoying your day anymore.

you're on guard, on your toes. ready to attack back, because it wasn't your fault, or they just hurt your feelings, or it was your fault but it wasn't on purpose and you feel the need to defend yourself.

you type out a response, quickly at first, because it flows out with your emotions. and after reading over it you go back and carefully craft it to sound smoother, wittier, sassier, sharper.

or you put your phone down. and you breathe for few minutes, and choose to let it go. you type out a simple apology, or you leave the text for a few hours until you've forgotten about it completely.

because you decided a while back to make a conscious effort not to text when you are upset. to not let a rush of negative energy or emotion dictate the words you type out onto your phone, because often times those words are later regretted.

this isn't to say that you don't stick up for yourself or others when necessary. just that you are conscious of the fact that the other person might be enjoying their day, and maybe the urge to attack could have been let go, if you had put your phone away, taken a deep breath, and moved forward with your day.