Saying the Wrong Thing

Sometimes we just say the wrong thing. I was trying to say the right things. I was trying to express care and concern and a positive attitude, but it all fell wrong on the ears of the person I was trying to encourage. It's not that anyone got angry. No one said anything mean or hurtful and we've both apologized that we weren't more sensitive to each other. But I feel like the conversation washed away all the common ground I've been trying to build for the past few years. Now we're stuck on opposite sides of a ravine. We can chat and smile and be there together, but no matter how I stretch, we can't quite reach each other. Were we ever close enough to touch or are the differences in our lives more than can be bridged? I feel lonely here on my side and I feel bad for stranding her on her side. So much for words; I don't think they're working here either.