Assume postive intent

Oftentimes people will say things or do things that, when evaluated on our end (against our biases and beliefs) appear confrontational.

They (might) mean well. But it might not seem that way.

One option is to assume the worst, that this person who’s interacting with you sincerely wants to hurt you, scold you or intimidate you.

The other option is to realize that maybe this person sees the world a little differently than you do. That their appearantly snide comment might be intended as something else: humor, insight, self-deprecation, a catalyst for engagement?

Indeed, the best way to come out of an ambiguous encounter is to lean into the uncertainty of it with the best of intentions. Of course, if your automatic response is to rebuke any potential slight, you’ll never give yourself a chance to see otherwise.