I received a taunting, controversial e-mail from a good friend.

We are on opposite sides of most political issues even though he is a good buddy. I had to make my mind up. Should I answer harshly or just keep my big mouth shut. In my youth I was always a pretty good counter-puncher.

When you hear someone make a statement that grates on your nerves and makes your insides quiver, should you enter the arena and squelch the speaker, or just let it go? Going into battle verbally gets less and less attractive as I get older and supposedly wiser.

We are involved today in very emotional and tricky political times. Ecological disasters and natural phenomena are displayed on all of the airways and on Page 1 of every newspaper.

The world is a virtual mine field. One wrong step and you can be blown away. The situations change so rapidly that one day you are pro and a week later you are anti on the same issue.

What to do?

What to do?

Long and true friendships and family relationships have been crushed and decimated at a restaurant dinner table when the wrong utterance reaches the wrong ears. Should I:

a) Swallow hard and

b) Count to 10 slowly (One Mississippi - two Mississippi)?

c) Keep my big mouth shut and let it pass?

I decided to marshal all the facts as I saw them and present them to my friend. No harsh words - no loud hollering - no name calling. Just a reasonable stating of the facts as I understood them. Restraint is many times better than a hostile reaction. Actually, I felt better!

If I had just accepted the taunt and not answered, it would bother me for a while. I am glad I took the high road and spoke my mind.

I sincerely hope that this issue between good friends is over and no more e-mails are sent.

Keeping my big mouth shut has always been difficult for me. Do you think I am becoming more mature?

I doubt it!