When my mother and I went shopping for some antiques in the mall last week. I noticed a new ice cream café. The place looked cool and fun to hang around with my friends from school over the weekends. So when I got back home, I called up my best friend, Alice, and told her about this new café with beautiful art on their walls that would make us a sensation on Instagram. On the next weekend, we agreed to meet at the mall in the afternoon but she did not show up until two hours later. As the punctual one of the two of us, I arrived ten minutes early and entered the mall. I called her and she informed me that she would be on time. However, twenty minutes after our date time, she neither picked my calls nor showed up.
As I did not carry extra money. I could not sit at the food court and instead stood along the stairs. The security guard did not approve of my idling and escorted me out. When she finally showed up, Alice offered no apologies and we walked into the mall. Once we sat down with our ice cream at the café, I shared the embarrassing scene and my frustrations about her lateness. She apologized for her lateness and appreciated my patience with her. She explained that she got late because she had to change her outfit after her small brother barfed on her dress as she kissed him goodbye. In the rush to change her dress, she left her phone in her room at home.
After this apology and explaining herself I felt contented that the issue got resolved without any remorse. Alice’s actions caused a conflict as I got embarrassed and frustrated by her lateness. However, we resolved the conflict effectively by approaching the situation calmly and expressing ourselves. I loved how she listened to me without interrupting thus enabling me to vent out my feelings. The apology offered before an explanation shows the consideration and appreciation of one’s faults and desire to end a conflict. Hence, forgiveness and resolution comes easily leading to no grudges or further conflicts within a relationship.
