There are times where people want to help you, and you react the wrong way. You realize you stepped on someone’s toes even if you may not have intended to at all. It’s human. It happens.
There is one thing I learned along the way: Never ruin a good apology with an excuse. (Benjamin Franklin said many smart things)
You can always say; But…this or that, or whatever. But in the end, it does not matter why you reacted the way you did. If you crossed the line, you crossed the line. It does not hurt to say “I am sorry”.
There is quite some controversy on the topic of apologizing. There are entire essays written on the difference of saying I am sorry, and I apologize. Some quotes suggest it is altogether unnecessary to apologize for how you behave.
As usual it is all a matter of perspective. I personally like Margaret Lee Runbeck’s take on this:
“An apology is a lovely perfume; it can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift.”
In my case, my apology was happily accepted. Even with a little laughter because of how well we know each other by now. That’s family at its best :-)
