Quote of the Day -- On Being Nice

In this modern age of computers and cell phones and now a coronavirus pandemic.

Hold doors for strangers.

Let people cut in front of you in traffic.

Say good morning, please, thank you, excuse me, and I'm sorry.

Be patient with sales clerks.

Smile at passersby, as often as we are provided the opportunity.

Don't stand idly by and live in a world where unconditional kindness is absent or invisible. 

Join in showing kindness to someone who may not necessarily deserve it, but who needs it. 

We all need it. 

Find your own way to swing the pendulum in the direction of kindness. 

Be kind to strangers, as well as to friends and family who may seem like strangers these days, today and every day.

-- Written, I'm told, by one Alexis Barclay I'm told. Edited here by me.

Go. Enjoy. 

Be happy.

Be nice.

The world needs that. Heck, you and I need that.

Always.

Quote of the Day -- Guest Post

A Facebook friend of mine, Kent Hartland, wrote and posted this today. I couldn't agree more.

My country has decended into a quagmire of wickedness where somehow prominent, self-important people strive to outdo one another in their shitty diatribes to achieve ever-higher status among the hate-baiters that own my nation.

I grew up in a God-loving home, as most folks did. Most of the truly good people in the world were also of the same cloth. I was taught from infancy to love and respect others, whether a different skin, disabled, mentally challenged or poor. We are all alike. Love your brothers and sister. Hold the door for a lady, say "Please" and "Thank you", "Yes, Ma'am" and "Yes, Sir." One of my earliest memories was taking food to old people in what we used to call a poor house or old folks home. I remember the dirt floors in some of the cabins.

Since when did religious folks, i.e. "Conservatives", identify with the same crowd that burns crosses, loves guns, defends the slaughter of first-graders as "unfortunate", says teachers need a fist in the mouth, blows up women's health clinics, assassinates doctors, bombs buildings where dozens of babies lie in their nursery, scream obscenities at immigrant children trying to escape the horrors of war, beat homeless people because "Trump is Right" or "Rush is Right" and who thirst for ever more war and spend fortunes seeking ways to further stigmatize, disenfranchise and decimate the poor?

Indeed. Wth, America?

"Thank you"

Thank you.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you and have a great day.

Yes, please, thank you.

There.

Is that so difficult?

How is it these few little words--possibly as few as two--are so rare in business today?

So beautiful, so easy, so nice to hear.

You go to a store or restaurant (more likely a retail store, I think)--maybe out of your way to go there--and it gets nearly impossible to have the person at the register say "Thank you."

Is that so difficult?

And "Have a nice day" is not "thank you", okay?  It's not a substitute.

Retail and grocery stores are the biggest offenders, by far, I think. The businesses want your business and they want you to come back but I'll be danged if the person at the register has been trained to say those two little words. Once in a great while it will come out but extremely rarely.

I need to give Human Resource training on it to company's employees.

I'd make millions.

"YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!!"

One of America's best attributes

I was reminded this morning, on the way to work, of one of our--America's--best traits and that is our collective, group politeness.

A traffic light was out just East of the Plaza today, on 47th Street, and it was flashing yellow for us (on 47th) and red for the North/South traffic.

And do you know what everyone was doing?

Instead of the 47th Street people just going slowly through, as the traffic regulations allow, everyone was stopping and letting the opposite, through traffic go first.

Sure, I know, part of this was safety but I also give some credit to just sheer manners.

I learned this years ago, on the mountain slopes of Colorado. We all were lining up, ever so quietly and politely, as is still done, to this day, to get on the ski lifts.

I was told then that, in Europe, it's not uncommon for people to just pretty much push their way through, to the shortest and quickest routes to the lift, not unlike Italian traffic, I've also heard.

And sure, you can run into rude people at different times here in the States but I think they are, thankfully and up to now, the minority.

So here's one for us, America. Keep up being polite, positive and pleasant.