I Told You So

This is a phrase that I never use and when somebody else throws it at me, I get very annoyed.

It is such a useless cliché. The damage is done; it only serves to claim superior wisdom and does nothing to undo or limit the damage. A reproach is not going to fix anything.

I recently did something against my own better judgment and several people warned me not to do it. For my very own reasons, I still went on to do it and it went all wrong as everybody predicted. Very soon everybody, even some who did not say so at the time, said to me: “I told you so.”

It started when my sister’s son, one of the black sheep in the family, ask to borrow a sizable sum of money. He said it was to prevent the bank from repossessing his pick-up truck which is his livelihood. His father refused to help him. I called his father (long divorced from my sister, but still a good friend) to know why he would not help his son. He immediately advised me against helping and even phoned my sister and my father, asking them to ‘talk sense into my head’.

I knew that I would not see the money again, but as I’m very fond of my sister’s children, I reasoned that he had been out of trouble for several years now and deserved a chance. So I helped him. The little azzhole went off and bought an expensive golden necklace for his wife.

The fact is, had I not ‘helped’ him and he lost his transportation, I may for ever have wondered if I could have made a difference. So OK, I was wrong. The beneficiary of my favor was still the same irresponsible brat.

I have my own misgivings about helping somebody who apparently (now with hindsight) did not need or deserve help. But what is done is done. I know it was a mistake and don’t need to be reminded of it. If one cannot add something positive to a situation then he should shut up. After all, it was my loss, not theirs.

It is easy to say I told you so.


Have a great day out there!