What would you say to a free way to help yourself and the people around you?
Your parents are your first teachers and you learn many things from them, including some things they did not intend to teach and some that wasn’t all good. One important thing your parents teach you is how to interact with others around you and that includes manners.
When I was a child, maybe 6 or 7 years old, my family went to a family event, maybe a funeral or a party, I don’t remember which. Somehow my sister and I found a large empty room filled with empty chairs. We had the time of our lives jumping up and down on each chair. Until we were found.
When we got home, my father meted out punishment that I will not describe since it would be frowned upon now. But the punishment was memorable. And we never jumped on chairs ever again.
In that day and time, manners, civility, and decorum were stressed as the way to behave. It was not uncommon for older members of the extended family to refer to Emily Post’s Etiquette book in case of any ambiguity regarding your actions, past and future. (Although I am pretty sure Emily Post never covered chair jumping.)
However, Emily did encourage the words “please” and “thank you” and many families universally encouraged those words to be used.
And why are those words important?
Saying please and thank you makes a difference to the person who hears it because you are saying to them that you respect their worth and appreciate what they did for you. It signifies awareness, recognition, appreciation, and some level of respect on your part to the person you say it to.
Saying those words is free. And easy to do. It helps to keep your environment positive. You are focusing on the positive and not the negative of life. It is a small way to create a better vibration in your surroundings and the people you interact with. So why not give it a try and see if it makes a difference in your world?
Finding the good in all things,
Celeste
Silver Lining Musings by Celeste 