PW wrote:C2W, your opinion of me must be very low indeed for you to read that level of nastiness in my response.
Oh, Willow. The moment I read those words, I realized that, much to my dismay, I had totally misunderstood what you wrote precisely because I respect, admire, like and enjoy you so much that the harsh little internal critic who represents the part of me that believes I can't be judged harshly enough was able to reach the conclusion that you agreed so speedily that I wasn't out of the driver's seat for long enough even to notice she'd been at the wheel. May I persuade you to take it as a compliment that I was so devastated by the distorted perception that prompted me to attribute my low opinion of myself to you that I felt free to mistakenly judge you as harshly as I mistakenly judge myself? Yeah, I didn't think so. I too would understand that it was one, in a way. But not in any way that means it wasn't my mistake nonetheless. For which I nonetheless therefore owe you my sincerest apologies.
Please forgive me for having momentarily allowed the phantoms I was addressing to so obscure my view of you and myself. I very much regret having caused you a moment's distress, to whatever degree I did. I should have remembered that I know better than that. As I usually do. I'm truly sorry enough to have forgotten it that I feel pretty safe in promising that I won't be forgetting it again.
yours, with respect and affection,
c2w