Absorb and shut up, it's not about me!

You ever say something to someone and never even think about how it may effect them?  You say it with no more thought than cracking a joke, asking for a light or making small talk but it's bigger than that, you knew it when you said it.  You said it like you were cracking wise or making an inane comment but seriously you might have been "reaching out" or "acting out" or "Lashing out"

This happend to me this evening I got information from someone that was bad news; the bad news was masked by a bit of inane information fed to me up front.  You know the ol' "I'll bore them with a weather report and then hit them over the head with a hammer bit."  But not only was the news bad, it was delivered with a positive slant but during this positive slant one small comment amongst a series of smaller comments hit me harder than any hammer could.  I was floored, disgusted, worried, hurt and distressed.  But the demeanor of the person who shared this nugget with me... never changed.  I wonder if that person knows how they made me feel? But I wonder if the fact that I was there to say it to made that person cope a with the bad news a little bit better?  It was hard for me to hear this bad news but not nearly as hard for me as the person who delivered it to me; so maybe it was my job to absorb their pain. 

I should just shut up and realize that the person that I was talking to should not be held responsible for what they say in this deeply painful time in their life and I should just ABSORB the blow and say that I am right here for you!