Susan's Blog

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Stuff I notice could be done better in this world now that I’m almost 51

1) If you must jaywalk, do not read your phone and go really slowly at the same time.

2) If someone clearly lets you in ahead of them, wave or smile at them.

3) If you did something wrong while driving and someone honks at you, don’t honk back at them.

4) Do not listen to your music so loudly that I can feel the beat and hear the lyrics — even though you have on earbuds.

5) If I hold the door for you, thank me.

6) Let people out before you go in. Elevator, restaurant, store.

7) If you’re riding a bike, don’t antagonize drivers by riding two abreast or taking the entire lane when there is a bike lane to use

8) When passing a biker in your car, don’t pass them too closely.

9) It’s okay to give a homeless person money. It doesn’t matter what they may or may not do with it.

10) Don’t count up every item on your restaurant check. You’ll enjoy your meal better the quicker you take care of paying.

11) Don’t let your child play or run around right in the way of waiters.

12) Don’t have a loud conversation with a friend on a quiet subway car.

13) Give up your seat for an elderly person, a pregnant person, an overburdened person.

 

4 comments

Excellent points Susan and I agree with all of these, particularly 2 and 5. I am astonished at how often people take a kindness completely for granted. And 13, of course!!! Be a mensch please, or the female equivalent. I’d just add to 12: Hey, if you have simply not realized you’ve got into the “Quiet Car” (which can happen!) when it is pointed out to you apologize quickly and just then be quiet after that. No need to keep muttering to your friend about “Well, how was I to know? Those signs are so high up and small!” etc ad nauseum. We all make mistakes, but in the Quiet Car we all really just want quiet rather than a prolonged expiation of guilt. 🙂 I’ll try to come up with some of my own but I think you covered most of the bases here!

— added by Nancy Bea Miller on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 8:28 pm

How about apologizing when you dial a wrong number instead of demanding to know which number you called? Just say you’re sorry and hang up.

— added by Leslie on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 7:43 am

Most of what you wrote is reasonable. I have to disagree with #10 though as several times we have been charged for something we didn’t order. For example, one time we were charged for an entire extra entree, and another time we were charged for two alcoholic drinks when we just had a juice and a coffee. I only remember one time in all the times we’ve eaten out that we weren’t charged for something we ordered, which makes me suspicious that it isn’t always an “honest” mistake. A Math teacher friend of mine who eats out a lot more than I do said the same thing, as she would always scrutinize the bill closely and was overcharged a number of times.

— added by Lynne on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 8:45 pm

I like this. It’s like “Everything I Know, I Learned In Kindergarten” only it shows that we can still learn. It’s all common sense.

I dislike number four. I just know that generations of kids are destroying their hearing minute by minute for Pokemon and Minecraft.

— added by JanB on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 10:31 pm

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