A few weeks ago, I got a call from a friend from the other part of the country.

I was supposed to send her something a week ago and totally forgot about it. I realized that right when I started talking to her.

She was extremely graceful in conveying about the delay and she said, “Every person is different and I know you are busy. Plus, I don’t know what is going on in your life. What is the way that works for you to ensure that commitments are honored? If for some reason either of us are delayed, how should we communicate that in advance?”

That was “a graceful slap” at play.

There were a dozen different ways she could have communicated about my lapse. She chose the graceful way.

Not only was this a wake up call for me, it also taught a lesson about how to gracefully, but firmly communicate with someone about keeping commitments.

Now, off to putting that learning into action…