This task could not have come at a better time as today I had to phone someone (let’s call him Josh) who I felt had not done what he committed to, with the effect of making things difficult for me and to a lesser extent others. I do have some sympathy for Josh as he has been through a difficult time recently. I also recognised that the effect of his ‘non-action’ was not very severe, However, I still felt very irritated. At the same time I am aware that I was judging Josh. Perhaps my expectations of him were unreasonable, especially as I did not know why he had not carried through on his commitment.

So the reminder to be gentle was a useful prompt, as well as the reminder to myself about my tendency to become irritated under certain circumstances.

And so what happened?

We were able to have a useful conversation during which it became clear that Josh had not appreciated the importance of fulfilling the commitment he had made. I hope (and think) that I managed to ‘be gentle’ and that I also learned something in the process.