Unspoken

You know how you have something you want to say, but you don’t say it?
Because you know saying it would just be mean.
And it would hurt someone’s feelings.
And for what?
For no good reason.
Other than you are tired, cranky, worn-out.

At the same time…
I’m a big advocate for “Say what you mean.  Mean what you say.”
“Don’t stuff it in a box, only to have it come up later.”
And most of all “Please don’t be passive-aggressive.
(That benefits no one.)”

But there’s a line.
A line between stuff you can say out loud
And stuff that needs to, should stay in your head.

And while I’m very good at toeing that line,
I’m not very good at noticing it until I’ve already crossed it.

“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place,
but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
— Benjamin Franklin