Taking a Breath

A couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of an email exchange with a friend, and our discussion of campaign issues was becoming pretty heated.  Before pressing the “send” button, something (Someone?) inside suggested that I take a breath and ask whether my email message would build up or destroy our friendship.  As a result of this, I suggested to my friend that we bracket a part of our conversation until we could continue it in person.  The following week, my friend walked into my office with a hug and a chocolate bar, saying “this is a peace offering, I am sorry for being intemperate.”  I pulled out some homemade chocolate chip cookies, saying “I’m sorry too,” and we picked up where we had left off.  Looking each other in the eyeballs, the conversation took a completely different turn.  We’re not done with our conversation, and we still disagree on significant points.  But I am sure that this friendship will last beyond November 4th.