Good Morning.
It's no secret that basic civility has gone the way of the dinosaur. Being insensitive or blatantly rude is the order of the day for entirely too many citizens, including the angry motorist who forces someone into the ditch, the patron who leaves a five percent tip for excellent service, and the people who lash out if anyone disagrees with them about anything. My daughter recently posted something quite thoughtful on Facebook about doing nice things to make a point and I agree with her. Here are a few suggestions for making life somewhat more hospitable. They are straight out of a dusty old book of Emily Post,
the premise of which was to make people feel warm and lovely. Today it's about healing a deeply wounded society.
Bring a gift to someone's home for dinner or for the weekend. This doesn't need to be a $75 bottle of wine or an elaborate floral arrangement. It can be a cantaloupe or a bag of Ice Melt. It's the thought, even a humorous one, that makes the difference. An interesting hostess present was once requested by my son-in-law who was invited with his family to visit some friends in the Black Hills. He asked if I'd make his favorite twice-baked potatoes to take to the friends, I fixed up a dozen, and off they went.
Do manual work for the neighbors, especially old, arthritic neighbors. Walk their dog, rake the leaves, and help paint the living room, put up the Christmas lights, or do that most unpleasant of chores, move.
Send greeting cards for a variety of occasions despite the fact that today's selection leaves a great deal to be desired; I am not interested in something that sings when I open it and requires extra postage, or something sticky sweet, crude, or insulting. Blank cards afford the opportunity to write a personal message: Hey old girl, I heard you got a hip replacement. Let me know when I can come by with a pitcher of Sangria.
Bring food to a family occasion. Most women still do this, but with so many single people out there, thanks to big-shot careers and the high rate of divorce, the old thing about the wife making the deviled eggs while the husband does his part by carrying them to the car needs to be updated. The bachelor uncle or busy CEO can pick up a pie at the bakery or a vegetable platter at the grocery store.
Visit people in the hospital. If they're actually in the hospital, they're probably deathly ill or recovering from major surgery,
because people don't get hospitalized for repair work that used to give folks in medical distress a week with professional care. Take a few flowers or a magazine but don't bring along a three-year-old who may leap on the bed and dislodge an IV or worse.
Hold doors for people and let them into traffic. These gestures immediately dispel the notion that humanity is hopelessly lost.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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