Thankful for Good Manners

Day 3 of my little Thankful experiment. These are in no order of importance, just what I'm thinking about on a given day.
TodayI'm Thankful for Good Manners.

Maybe it's because I grew up in a very rural Indiana farming community and them moved to Big Bad Chicago (can you say culture shock??!) but I really appreciate good manners. Possibly more than most. My parents raised "please & thank you" kids. My parents raised us to help others out and show gratitude. My parents raised us to call adults "Mr." and "Mrs." and have respect for our elders.

I think good manners are the cornerstone of a cohesive and civilized society. You don't rob your neighbor if he's Mr. Brown, your mom's friend from church choir. You don't run a red light if you know the person on the other side of the intersection. You rake extra leaves and mow past the property line, because its the nice thing to do. You help your neighbor get their groceries, dog, children from the car to the house because its the right thing to do. You shovel out the snow for Ms. Johnson across the street because she is eldery, and you don't know if someone else is going to shovel for her.

When I moved to Chicago I was SHOCKED that people didn't smile and say hello on the street. Call me crazy, but I did that even in school at Purdue (population 65,000.) But Lafayette IN is big because of Purdue, the town itself is still a small midwest town with a slower pace. In Chicago its MOVE MOVE MOVE and it doesn't matter who is in your way.

I think it's important to take the time (seriously, who doesn't have 2 minutes?) and ask the mailman how his day is. I think it's important to know your cashier's name at the grocery store. I think it's important to give up your seat on the bus/train for the elderly man, pregnant woman, or that guy in the corner who looks exhausted, like he might fall asleep on his feet. I think it's important to let others go first at a 4 way stop.

I LOVE it when guys hold the door open for me. I LOVE it when an older gentleman calls me Sweetheart, or that waitress at the diner calls me Sugar.

I want "please and thank you" kids. I want them to know how important it is to take the time to be polite and courteous and kind, each and every day. It's amazing the difference you can make in someones life by these very small seemingly insignificant actions. Try it. And raise your children to do it. Be thankful for good manners and spread them around. Together -- we could change the world, or at least our little corner of it!