How NOT To Cheer Someone Up

Once she finished her story, her head fell to her outstretched hands as she began to sob. Clearly she was struggling with all of her might under the back-breaking weight of the recent events and of this tumultuous time.

Instinctively, I was filled with words of encouragement:

“I am so sorry for what you have been through. That must have been like choosing between a rock and a hard place but I think you did the right thing by not putting all your eggs in the same basket. Drastic times call for drastic measures, even if it means going out on a limb but instead it goes down like a lead balloon.

Clearly he was forbidden fruit but you still thought it would be like taking candy from a baby. I know you thought you were like two peas in a pod, but he was a hard nut to crack and then you ended up with egg on your face when you thought you could have your cake and eat it too. I am sorry to say, too many cooks spoiled the broth.

Unfortunately, when you play with fire, you’re going to get burned and sometimes you have to eat crow.

Then, how you got out of the frying pan and into the fire with another rotten apple… that was quite the pickle!

But when life hands you lemons, life can still be a bowl of cherries. You just have to grab the bull by the horns and throw caution to the wind. The only thing to fear is fear itself, so don’t sweat the small stuff.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again because practice makes perfect and third time’s a charm. You just have to keep your nose to the grindstone because Rome was not built in one day.
When the chips are down, as long as you know when to hold them and when to walk away, just cross your fingers, cut to the chase and put the pedal to the metal.

It’s sad to have to go back to square one and start from scratch but, off the record, I think you have the best of both worlds. By not having an axe to grind, there’s no reason for you to get off on the wrong foot. You can let bygones be bygones, learn the ropes and then hit the ground running.

I think you bit off more than you could chew in having to bend over backwards when you were fixed in your ways. A leopard can’t change his spots. I think you hit the nail on the head when you realized it took two to tango and stopped airing dirty laundry and passing the buck. I think you might have been a bit of a loose cannon in biting the hand that feeds, but no use crying over spilled milk… better late than never.

To make a long story short, right now, the world is your oyster. Just don’t spread yourself too thin and run around like a chicken with its head cut off, even in the heat of the moment. Keep your eye on the prize, put your best foot forward, and come hell or high water it should be a piece of cake! Are we on the same page?”

Her blank gaze and pregnant pause left me wondering if I had sugar coated my feedback or whether my ideas were clear as a bell. Perhaps she had taken it all with a grain of salt.

But the loud wailing that followed indicated to me that my suggestions did not bear fruit and were a bitter pill to swallow.

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Have a great day,
André