Sometimes there is a fine line between being honest and being mean. I’ve known people who brag about always being honest but their remarks are often critical and cruel. When people ask us for our opinion they usually don’t really want our opinion, they want our approval, they want encouragement, a compliment and to be honest would hurt them.

This morning when I walked to the mailbox my ninety-three-year-old neighbor was getting her mail. Sue uses a walker to make her way to the mailbox and she has a bag tied to her walker to carry her letters in although she rarely gets any mail. S...