I Was Raised!

By Terry Orr 

• I didn't just grow up.  
• I was taught to speak when I enter a room.
• Say please and thank you, to have respect for my elders and to get off my lazy butt and let the elder in the room have my chair.
• Say 'yes sir' and 'no sir', lend a helping hand to those in need.
• Hold the door for the person behind me, say 'excuse me' when it's needed and to love people for who they are and not for what I can get from them.
• I was also taught to treat people the way I want to be treated.

(And my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents refreshed my memory if I had forgotten any of the above.)

Common Courtesy

By Diane Forrest

I have always heard you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, but who wants to catch flies?  What this means is you will have more friends by being nice.   It's just as easy and makes the world a better place to live if you are nice to everyone.   A great time to be extra nice is today, National Common Courtesy Day.  Some things  you can do today to be Courteous are: 

• Say hello to everyone with a smile
• Hold the door open for the next person
• If people around you are trying to hear something, such as a movie, etc, be quite.  If you must speak, keep your voice down.
• If you have extra cookies or cupcakes, share some with your neighbors
• If you ride the train, subway or bus, offer to give your seat to an elderly or handicapped or pregnant person
• Don’t forget to say Please and  Thank You, especially to servers who are waiting on you
• Be considerate of those around you, if you are able, help someone in need, such as helping someone load groceries to their car, or helping an elderly person cross the street

One of my favorite children’s songs is from the Big Purple Dinosaur, Barney, where he sings about saying “Please and Thank You.”  You can hear it at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3CgwV3o7AM

   

It doesn't cost a dime to be courteous, and the payback you get is fantastic.  Instead of having a Common Courtesy Day, I think we should make it a Common Courtesy Year, or even a Common Courtesy Life!

(All images from Google) 

National Courtesy Month

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

There are lots of things

We can do to be nice,

Sometimes they're hard to remember.

But there are two little things

You should never forget,

From January through December.

He's talking 'bout please and thank you,

They're called the magic words,

If you want nice things to happen,

They're the words that should be heard,

Remember please and thank you,

'Cause they're the magic words.

If you have ever watched the television show, Barney, for children, you have probably heard this song.   It is an educational show with a large purple dinosaur who teaches things to children.  I can't tell you how many times this song has popped into my head, and my son is grown, so I haven't watched this show in years.  This message is still very important.

When I was growing up every time I received a gift my mother made me sit down and write a thank you note.  I still write them now, and have instilled that in my child as well.  I told him that if someone took the time to think of you, pick something out and give it to you, the very least you can do is to thank them.  Just this week I received two thank you notes in the mail.  It brought a smile to my face to know that some people are still courteous.

(Google Image)

Saying please is another way of being courteous.  This is especially necessary when you are out eating, and are requesting something from your server.  I was reading an article about how you can tell if the person you are dating is a good person.  One of the tips it offered was to notice how they treat the wait staff.  If someone is there to help you with something, saying please when you make a request and thank you when that request is performed will provide you much better service.

This month is National Courtesy Month.  If you are normally courteous, then you practice all the time.  If you are not, well you only have a few days left of this month to start getting into the habit.   If you need a reminder, just think of the Barney song, or click this site and then you can let it stick in your mind too!

(Google Image)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3CgwV3o7AM   The most important thing to remember is the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.