Accidents Happen

How many of us have accidentally broken a glass, dropped a dish or even spilled red wine onto a light coloured carpet? Mishaps happen to the best of us. If a guest broke a plate or glass in your home, would you expect them to replace it? Or perhaps they are wearing a dark coloured piece of clothing that stains your light furniture, would you ask them to contribute money towards the cleaning? If you did, what effect would it have on your relationship?

People tend to feel bad when they have an accident in another’s home. By making a big deal of it, we just make it worse for them. We usually don’t run to the store to pick up a replacement after we break a dish in our home. We regret it, but not sweat it. We can show this same resilience to others when they have similar accidents in our homes. Generally, we want everyone who comes through our door to have a pleasant experience, and not have them leave desiring never to return because of how we made them feel.

Etiquette is about making others feel comfortable.