Woe! It’s Wednesday

Where have all the manners gone? Gone with the wind, it seems.
Does it take so long to say, “Hello, how are you?”
Or, to motion to someone else to go ahead of you in line or at the stop sign.
Manners are an endangered species.
The glib response says it’s because of our technological society. So much of our interaction nowadays is online, via email or texting or Twitter or Facebook.
But I think that’s just another symptom, not the root of the problem.
The issue is we’re just in too much of a hurry.
Dinner has to ready in three minutes or less so we can move on to the sporting event, the music lesson, or the call of the television.
We’ve forgotten how to slow down and enjoy something.
Our food, cars, and internet connection has to be fast or we’re wasting time and not being productive.
Seems to me, if we smile and are courteous to others, you never know what kind of an impact it can have. The smallest act yields huge dividends.
I’m as guilty of the rush as anyone.
This summer, I’ve consciously tried to slow down. To have a day at home with the dogs and the air conditioner and a book.
I survived.
Actually, I enjoyed it. And it made it easier to smile and move on when someone cut me off to get to the nearest Starbucks 12 seconds ahead of me.