Say Anything: Common Courtesy Should Be Common Sense

I'm going to start this off by letting ya'll know two important things: First, I am inherently a curmudgeon. I may look like a happy youngish gal on the outside but, on the inside, I'm part grumpy old man missing the way things used to be and shaking my fist at the youth of today. The second thing is that this post is in no way secretly meant to be about any circumstance going on, be it in politics, news, Facebook groups, or PTA committee meetings. So please don't take it deeper than its face value because I'm not one to beat around bushes and play scavenger hunts with my thoughts (refer back to curmudgeon statement). 

So, common courtesy should be common sense. What happened to the days of people saying Please and Thank You because it was just plain kind? What is with this overwhelming sense of entitlement that is taking over? A lot of it is rooted in the youths but where do they learn it? The adults. I think, as a society, we are forgetting that a little courtesy goes a long way and that we are, essentially, entitled to nothing. If someone gives you something, be thankful and let them know you are thankful. If you want something, say please and mean it. Try to remember that Please may be the magic word but it isn't a guarantee. It just sweetens the pot. 

I was recently asked to come up with a positive experience from a random week. You know what had stuck with me the most? Out of everything, it was that two ladies let me go in front of them in the checkout line at the grocery store. They didn't know me, didn't know I was having a week from hell, didn't know I was dying for some break from the stress. I nearly cried right then and there all because they let me go in front of them. Because they had full carts and I just had a few items. Their kindness and unsolicited courtesy carried me through a rough week. One small, seemingly insignificant gesture had a huge impact. I gave them the most genuine Thank You I could without scaring them or making them regret their decision to make sure they knew their kindness was appreciated, that their small act of courtesy did indeed have a significant impact. 

It might sound cliche, but small acts can have big impacts. A simple Please or Thank You can stay with people for a long time. Please, go out and think of others, show appreciation, show courtesy, share happiness. Smile at a stranger, thank someone who held open a door for you, say please when ordering your lunch. Your words are powerful; your kindness is powerful.