Jumping off half-cocked and veiled criticism.

Not the best day, I'm afraid.

I will admit that I am an impulsive person. I'm guessing that there are people who would say that's an understatement. My first impulse is often to respond immediately to whatever is said or written, with the first interpretation that crosses my mind. I am aware of this problem and I am working on it, I really am.

All that being said, although I am a very intuitive person by nature, there are instances where I don't immediately recognize veiled criticism. I am an honest, upfront person who basically lives by the "say what you mean, and mean what you say" principle. I generally don't engage in cryptic exchanges with people, although there are certain individuals that I know that seem to insist on such things....and I figure if they're going to play cagey with me, I can play along. Where problems lie, however, is in the interpretation. If a person cannot bring themselves to just SAY what it is they want to say, they are leaving me to interpret whatever it is, and since there is so much that factors in to the interpretation of a given comment, it is not hard to get it wrong.

What I WISH for.....is honesty. If there's something that you want to say to me, then by all means SAY IT. If you can go to all the trouble to find a roundabout, cryptic way to criticize something I might have said, or a choice that I might have made......then I think you can just tell me directly. Am I right? I mean, you already SAID something. If you truly wanted to just keep it to yourself then you wouldn't have said something. See what I mean?

I have nothing at all against constructive criticism. I strive to improve myself and my education all the time. Criticism is a part of this process. If you have something to say that could help me with this improvement, then by all means, spill it. If you just want to be a dick, well then--that's counterproductive and not only do I not need to hear it, but you just reduced yourself by behaving in that manner.

Sometimes we must censor our exchanges due to venue. Understood. But then again the possibility exists to change the venue.

Just because I might follow another person's lead in the course of an exchange, does not mean that I am afraid to be honest myself. I have no qualms whatsoever telling you whatever it is you may want to know. If you are unsure about my position on an issue or my intentions in a given situation, I would be more than happy to clarify. I feel compelled, however, to add the caveat "be careful what you wish for." You may just find that I understand a whole lot more than you may think.