I work at the headquarters of a Fortune 50 company with thousands of other people and it literally takes me eight to 10 minutes to walk from my car to my office. Every morning on my walk in I do a little social experiment. I smile and say "good morning" to every single person I pass, whether I know them or not.
It absolutely shocks me how many people walk through the halls looking down at the floor and don't respond at all to my greeting. Have we really gotten to the point where basic manners have gone out of style!? News flash - if someone smiles at you, smile back. I promise it will immediately put you in a better mood.
As Piper grows up, I will teach her the Golden Rule - always treat others as you would like to be treated. Here are some of the other simple, common sense manners I will teach her.
1. Hold the door for people who are walking behind you. If someone holds the door for you, remember to say "thank you."
2. If someone lets you into packed traffic, acknowledge their kindness with a wave.
3. Do not be rude to waiters/waitresses.
4. When someone compliments you, accept the compliment with grace and say "thank you."
5. If someone thinks enough of you to give you a gift or goes out of their way to do something nice for you, send a handwritten thank you note, not just an e-mail or text.
I don't buy it when there is a rude person and people make excuses for him/her by saying, "oh, that's just the way he/she is." Unacceptable! Rudeness is a learned behavior that people continue because no one calls them on it. However, if rudeness is a learned behavior, that means it can also be unlearned. I say we start a trend of kindness instead of rudeness. Who's with me?
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