RELATIONSHIPS November 11, 2002 Issue

Ready to forgive

By Lois Rae Carlson

IT was a long overseas flight. After a good sleep, I got up for a stretch—inadvertently spilling a glass of ice water right into the lap of the man sleeping in the seat next to me.

I watched helplessly as the cold water seeped through his pants. All I could do was call the flight attendant to bring towels. Startled from sleep, my fellow passenger yelped. How awful I felt to have given him such a shock. "Have I ruined your clothes?" I asked, apologizing. He was calm, and smiled, seeing the humor of the situation. "Don't worry," he said. "They'll be dry before we land."

I was amazed at his grace. After things settled down, I said, "I think we're going to know each other better." He looked at me with a wary glance. "Forgiveness is part of every good relationship," I suggested, "and you forgave me so quickly." He smiled, we chitchatted a bit, and then he went back to sleep. His poise was a great example to me.