You ever interact with people and almost instantly realize that their gripe has nothing to do with you?

You know, those instances where a regular comment is met by snipe. An innocent question rejected. A fierce reaction to something tame.

The moments when others displace the current situation with an overlay of their own tension & making should provide a signpost to those of us who would rather not deflect, deject, or verbally lash out — especially when it doesn’t matter.

Is this really the issue? Did you need to make things awkward? How did you make the other person feel? Do you wish you would have said that in another way? Is there something bothering you? Could you have been kinder? Do you use that tone too often?

Some interactions reveal that there’s a lot of battle in you.

What if there wasn’t? And what is it about?