Posted by: Eagle Heart
Have You Ever Thought one Thing but Said Another? - 07/11/06 05:26 PM
Walking home from the mall today, I was standing at one of the busiest intersections in the entire city, waiting for my light to cross. Cars were turning from the opposite side into the lanes closest to me. Two young men standing on the other side of the road started crossing toward me. I figured they would stop at the center median and wait for the green light, but one of the guys hesitated only a moment, then kept crossing...but he didn't see what I could see - a huge garbage truck roaring through the intersection trying to make his left turn before the light changed. I gestured wildly to both the driver and the other guy to stop, but both kept coming. The guy JUST managed to make it to the sidewalk a split second before the garbage truck would have hit him.
I was scared - not just for this guy, but because if the garbage truck had swerved even a few feet to avoid this guy, the truck would have hit ME. So I was very grateful that everyone escaped harm. I meant to say to the guy "You are so lucky, your guardian angels must be working overtime!" But what came out of my mouth was "You are so STUPID!"
Now, he did do a very stupid thing; that is a notoriously dangerous intersection, and everyone around here knows to wait for the light. His impatience could have had fatal consequences. Nevertheless, I try to never use the word "stupid"...I've hurt myself too many times by flinging it in my own face. So I've tried to irradicate the word from my vocabulary. But today it just blurted out, even when I had every intention of saying "lucky" instead of "stupid".
After I crossed the street, I felt really horrible - even if I had said "That was a really stupid move", it would have been better than calling him stupid. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wish I could find this guy and apologize. But all I can do is pray for him, and hope that he will realize what a great gift God gave him today by sparing his life at that intersection.
So I was wondering, how many others here have thought one thing and had every intention of saying that one thing, but then other completely different words came flying out of your mouth?
I was scared - not just for this guy, but because if the garbage truck had swerved even a few feet to avoid this guy, the truck would have hit ME. So I was very grateful that everyone escaped harm. I meant to say to the guy "You are so lucky, your guardian angels must be working overtime!" But what came out of my mouth was "You are so STUPID!"
Now, he did do a very stupid thing; that is a notoriously dangerous intersection, and everyone around here knows to wait for the light. His impatience could have had fatal consequences. Nevertheless, I try to never use the word "stupid"...I've hurt myself too many times by flinging it in my own face. So I've tried to irradicate the word from my vocabulary. But today it just blurted out, even when I had every intention of saying "lucky" instead of "stupid".
After I crossed the street, I felt really horrible - even if I had said "That was a really stupid move", it would have been better than calling him stupid. It left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wish I could find this guy and apologize. But all I can do is pray for him, and hope that he will realize what a great gift God gave him today by sparing his life at that intersection.
So I was wondering, how many others here have thought one thing and had every intention of saying that one thing, but then other completely different words came flying out of your mouth?