Pinterest Made Me Cry

Last night I was browsing Pinterest. It's something I do from time to time...something to calm my swirling thoughts.

I came across a post for a pasta sauce. The blogger was sharing a recipe for an authentic Italian sauce given to her by her husband's grandmother...who was from Italy. And, my friends, it sounded downright delicious.

Here's what got me all fired up: I decided to check out the comments. I was so surprised at what I found. Most people were complimentary (good). Some people decided to share how they would do it differently (odd). Then there was one lady who was utterly offensive. In a diatribe spanning more than 3 or 4 comments, she let loose a string of criticism that was insulting both to the blogger and the sweet Italian Nonna (she basically accused the old lady of not being Italian because of what she put in her sauce!)

Seriously?

No...I mean, SERIOUSLY????

Why? Why do people do this? What possible satisfaction could be gained by attacking someone else's personal likes and/or dislikes in such a public fashion? Did she really think the blogger would change her mind? "Oh, I was just kidding. I didn't actually enjoy the sauce. In fact, it was horribly tasteless!" Give me a break!

We all have our opinions. I know this...I myself am literally brimming with them! For example, I don't like fish. Strike that...I REALLY don't like fish. This doesn't mean, however, that I feel some kind of obligation to inform all fish-eaters that they are idiots! It doesn't mean that I sit at home drafting paragraphs of disparaging comments to hand to all my friends and family who eat the stuff.

No.

NO.

NOOOOO!

It was obvious, as I read on, that the blogger's feelings had been hurt. Certainly by the outright attack... but, if I was a betting gal, I'd bet her feelings were hurt by the many other comments telling her all the other things she could do to make her sauce better.

It made me so sad. I wish I knew her. I wish she were a friend of mine...someone I could put my arms around and assure that those comments, those people, just don't matter. Because they don't.

But, isn't it hard to remember that? I'll answer that: Yes! Even at our best we sometimes feel inferior. Less-than-perfect. Not quite up to snuff. Etc. Don't we?

I do.

And my guess is that you do too.

So, maybe we should just be nice to each other. Let's be honest...is there anyone out there who you sincerely and truly feel isn't making an effort to be their best? I doubt it. We are all trying. We are all imperfect people just giving it all we've got. Right?

So let's cut each other some slack. And enjoy whatever pasta sauce you want to enjoy, okay?