The e-mail

Today marks the anniversary of what could be the most mis-interpreted e-mail in the history of all electronic communications.  I wrote a friendly e-mail, congratulatory, encouraging and coalescing, going out of my way to try to foresee any potential conflict and diffuse it before their were any issues.  It initially was received with very little fanfare, but like the sparklers in the parking lot before the fireworks show, I hadn't seen anything yet.

Later, I got a call ripping on me, insisting everything I wrote actually meant the opposite of what was intended.  This was the springboard to what became an epic ass chewing, with me being accused of a lot of nasty things...untrue things.  It was designed to hurt my feelings, and mission accomplished, it did.  I think the intent of all of the criticism was to make me so angry I would say, "the hell with you."  It's not my nature to walk away, especially when what happened made zero sense and I wanted to redeem myself.

Trust me, I re-read the e-mail a thousand times before deleting it.  There was no way a person could have misunderstood that much.  I was doomed.  That e-mail became a tool to facilitate the goal.  I wish I hadn't sent it, but one year ago I was going to get thrown out of one of my better friends lives no matter what I did.

Fireworks indeed...