"This complied with the wishes of the senior Mr. Fields, who admitted that the ugliest scenery lay out that side of the train, but he felt that all Fieldses should be forced to face the grimy source of their independence and higher life."

-The World According to Garp, John Irving

Last night my friend and I got into a spat. We missed a chance to talk, and I took it personally. In Psych 101, we learn that we are egocentric: how when people are rude to us, we think that it says something about their character, but when we are rude to others, we think that others should understand that maybe we're just having a bad day. For that, I apologize. I forget that sometimes. I forget that I feel the same things you feel and vice versa. I should understand that maybe you are just having a bad day, lost track of time, or whatever your reasons... and objectively, I do. I'm just selfish sometimes and want things when I expect them... like when I expected to talk to you :(

I also would like to apologize for my defensive judgments on people I assume will be judgmental because of a label with which they identify. Just because you are defined as something that extremists and racists have given a bad name does not necessarily mean you are the same. I should not assume that you are.

Please forgive me as I learn to let go of past grudges.
---
"On the right hand side of the train, leaving Boston, and on the left as you returned, you passed the main Fields Factory Outlet in Haverhill, and the vast billboard with the huge work shoe taking a firm step toward you."