???????????? for hearts

Just the other day, I had a really bad day.  And later that day after talking things over with a friend of mine, she sent me a serious of questions marks in a text message, which looked like this:  ???????????????

It was late in the day so I didn’t text nor call her back to explain what those question marks meant.  But the next morning in yoga class, she was there, and I remembered that text from the night before and said, “I got a strange text from you last night; it was all questions marks.”

To which she responded, “Oh, you don’t have a smart phone!  I sent you hearts--all different colors!”  But my phone--a vintage phone--doesn’t have the capacity to transmit or receive pictures.  So her message was hardly what she expected it to be!

Isn’t that just like how it happens sometimes when we try to communicate something to someone and are misinterpreted or misunderstood?  Having been someone who has been accused many times in my life of being tactless or too direct, I wonder how many times, I meant one thing, but it was taken differently than I intended.

We don’t have control of how others receive us, do we?  And we are busily sending emails and texts because we don’t want to take the time to call, or we don’t want to “bother” someone.  Some people say that emails and texts can be even more often misunderstood than talking.

I have another friend who prefers to talk face-to-face when there’s something important to say or to hear.  She says that then she can watch a person’s eyes, facial expression, and body language to get the true meaning beyond the words.

So with technology and social media, we probably have even more ways to be misinterpreted.  Yet, accurate communication is even more important in our diverse world today.  Communication is the key to good relationships.  I want to be more aware of my words (and actions) and to slow down and to take the time to be as sure as I can be that what I communicate is not misunderstood.