For the next three articles, I want to talk about kindness. What it means to be kind, what it is like when you are "too kind", what it is like to be overly polite and so on. The first topic I want to talk about? Saying Sorry for Saying Sorry.
How many times have you had a conversation that went like this:
You: "I'm sorry!"
Someone Else: "Stop saying sorry!"
You: "I'm sorry, I'll try to stop! Oh shoot wait... Sorry."
It happens to a lot of people. And for me? Well it happens a lot. I know there is that saying that the more you say sorry, the less meaning it has, but sometimes I cannot help it. Sometimes the word sorry just slips off the tongue automatically. My mom has told me so many times to stop saying sorry so much but I have yet to change my apologetic ways.
Why is it that some people say sorry more than others? We should not be apologizing for crying because that is just an emotion, right? Everyone has them. But yet a lot of people apologize when they burst out in tears. We should not be apologizing for having anxiety because that is a health issue. Yet, people still do apologize for when their anxious behavior is showing. It may seem stupid to apologize for these things but many still do. I myself even had a hard time coming up with just two examples of things we should not apologize before. Mostly because I am that girl. I am the "sorry for literally every single thing that goes wrong" girl.
Are you that kind of person too? Are you the "Sorry for Saying Sorry" kid in your family or group of friends? If you are, odds are you are probably the "Yes-Person" and the "Always There at the Drop of a Pen" person too. You are also probably the "Shoulder to Cry On" person, the "Designated Hug" person and the "Buy Your friend Their Favorite Ice Cream When They Had a Bad Day" person. You know why you take on all these personas to the point where you feel like you have 10 additional identities? It is because you are nice, really nice. To sum it all up, you are the "Nice Person".
I am not trying to be un-humble here but I consider myself to be a pretty nice person. All those people I described above? Me in a nutshell. I know there a lot of people who experience this as well though. We may hold doors open too long for people and that may cause some awkward interactions. We may say sorry too much and annoy people. We may even over-compliment you to the point where you may feel uncomfortable. But hey, we do it all with a good heart.
That's the thing about being a nice person, we lead with our hearts. It may get us into some sticky situations, but, in the end, it's worth it.
