Today starts the second week of my Triple “E” Challenge and while I slept in this morning, I know that today I definitely learned a lesson in compassion.

I had been warned, when you’re sending IMs, make sure you send them to the right person. Boy did I learn the hard way. I sent the wrong message to the wrong person…actually…it was a message about the receiver that was never meant for her to see. Simply put, I sent a gossipy message and the wrong person got it.

Now normally I try to avoid getting into gossip. A don’t like being mean spirited and talking about people behind their backs; and I definitely like to maintain positive work relationships.

So when I realized the wrong person got the message, I apologized immediately, but of course the damage had been done. I was mortified and I deserved to be. I had made a poor choice in sending the message anyway. By sending that negativity into the ether, my own ugliness was reflected back to me.

I felt horrible for most of the afternoon, but since she told me to drop it and I can’t beat myself up about it forever, I’m going to chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Today I experienced compassion because the person I was talking about was willing to forgive me almost immediately. I also learned that even when you thing you’re doing something in secret, you are still sowing a seed, so be careful what you sow into the universe.

Here’s to learning what compassion is, the hard way.