I’m sorry. I hear you.
The child whose day it is to empty the dishwasher did so before going to school today.
Hooray.
(It doesn’t always happen.)
And I decide, before I disappear into ROTB work—in the spirit of everyone putting in a little extra effort—to load the contents of the very crowded sink into the machine and start it.
I leave the knives and wooden cutting board that need to be hand washed.
Maybe I’ll do those at lunch time.
Maybe Jane will see the effort the kids and I put in and she’ll do them.
—
I’m answering emails in my basement office when I hear Jane from upstairs, “You don’t need to defend yourself, but I know I’ve repeatedly asked you and the kids to get the food scraps out of the bottom of the sink. It’s disgusting.”
I want to say, “Do I not get credit for clearing out the sink?”
But I don’t.
Jane continues from the kitchen, “All you need to do is say, ‘I hear you.’”
I swallow and do my best to say, “I hear you, Jane,” without any snotty tone.
—
It’s easy to defend ourselves.
Far easier.
But that doesn’t always mean it’s the right thing to do.
—
Let’s all try this week to not always defend ourselves, depending on the situation. It gives other people dignity. Sometimes “I hear you” is enough.
