A lesson in humility

The thing about the internet is that it's easy to toss out critical comments without much thought, and especially on Twitter, where stream of consciousness is the way conversations are driven.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to be on both the receiving and giving end of an apology for words carelessly thrown out into the interwebs; it's a lesson in humility.

I'm a girl who loves stereotypically boy hobbies:  cars, planes, sports, action movies, and counter-terrorism CIA black ops fiction.  My husband and I watch shows like Burn Notice, Top Gear, and my personal favorite, American Restoration, on which Rick and his crew restore all kinds of objects to their original beauty.   What I love most about the show is the restorations; I don't enjoy as much the backstories between Kelly (Rick's wife) and Rick as well as some of the other characters.

With that in mind, I idly tweeted this without much thought:

I was surprised to see that Kelly not only saw my tweet, but responded.  And she called me out, gracefully and politely.   In further conversation, I discovered that Kelly is the backbone of the business, running social media, answering fan mail, and even filling in on body work when necessary.  She's no lightweight, even though the producers of the show allow her to look like she is.

And too, Kelly is a mother of two kids, 17 and 20.  "There's a lot viewers don't know about our family; they believe what they see on TV," Kelly wrote.  "It's very hard on my kids to see cruel things said about me."  

I tried to imagine what it would be like to be on a TV show, earning a living, and people throwing typed daggers at will.  I tried to imagine what it would be like for my son to read criticism of me. 

I apologized to Kelly.  It was most unkind of me to forget that she's a real person, listening to what people say about her show, her husband, her co-workers, and her kids.   She deserves more credit, and I'm sure that's true for a lot of people out there, if we give them a chance.

She even read a few posts on my blog and commented that we have a lot in common. If I travel to Las Vegas next year for business, I'd love to meet her in person.   Not only did I get a chance to right a wrong, I gained a better appreciation for a person and her show.

I know how it feels to be on her end, because recently another blogger apologized to me for something she had written to me.  She didn't have to; I don't know Heather, have never met her, and may never see her in real life.  But she did.  And not only did it make my day, I think it also made hers.

We all say stupid things now and then... and we make a difference when we own up and take responsibility for our words when they hurt.   

Thank you, Kelly, and thank you, Heather.  I'm glad to have you in my wide world.

For more information on Kelly and American Restoration on the History channel, click here.

Love,