It's simple enough: I sold something on ebay. The buyer sent me a note when they paid telling me to pack the item well so it doesn't get damaged. 

THIS got under my skin big-time. I thought, of course I'm going to pack it well. Who does this asshole think he is? Don't treat me like an idiot. I know how to pack something for shipping. If you're such a master packer, why don't you start a goddamn online store, genius? Why don't I just cancel the order and save you the trouble of worrying about my packing skills?! That'll show him! And so on.....

I've been fuming since I read the note. It kept coming back to mind and I would get angry all over again. Even though I realized somewhere in the back of my mind this was such a small and ridiculous thing to ruin my day, it kept pissing me off every time I thought about it. 

Then I thought, you know what? I get damaged packages all the time because lots of people don't put any thought into packing something. If I were to say something like this to a seller, it would be with the best of intentions, not because I assume they're a fuck-up who needs to be told how to do their job, but because I just want to be certain an item gets to me in one piece. There's nothing unreasonable about what he said. Not one iota. And I would certainly think someone was nuts if they reacted the way I did. 

And just like that, the buyer who left me a note is no longer a bastard who insulted my intelligence. He's just a guy who left a note and I'm no longer seething with rage. 

It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. In the past I would be fuming about this "incident" (LOL) for maybe weeks. 