My daughter is turning 21 this weekend. Yay!!! I am so very grateful for my amazing daughter and excited as she enters this next stage of her life! 21 feels like adulthood…

My prompt for this week was POLITE: Here’s how it was used in the books that I’m reading:

  1. Just a moment, and she would have seen her own bike and maybe even made some polite remark about their similarity to that nice man with the beautiful eyes. Geraldine Brooks
  2. Was he just here because he was too polite to say no? Carolyn Huynh
  3. Society has so many superficial conversations- polite and ritualized, but not anything deeper. Julia Cameron
  4. Ask yourself where you might be trying to be polite a little too often with your time. Pedram Shojai
  5. Having said that, a nice, comprehensive jeremiad does have its pluses, if only because it’s exhausting to always be controlled, well-balanced, and polite version of yourself.
  6. It’s an overtly fake and exaggerated sentiment, but Hornclaw nods politely and smiles before regaining her edge. Gu Byeong-Mo
  7. And while he took in the show politely, he was hardly persuaded by what he saw. Hugh Eakin
  8. Eva, this is Mona. Say Hello. It’s only polite. Natasha Solomons

Here’s what I’m thinking about:

  1. Does being polite matter?
  2. Polite does not appear in many of the books that I’m reading. Is it our of fashion as a word?
  3. How often do we do things only because it’s polite
  4. Without politeness, will society crumble
  5. When is it ok to not be polite?

39 thoughts on “Gratitude and Mindfulness: 11/12/22”

  5. No polite is not totally out of fashion. I think, however, showing curtesy and respect, which to me is what being polite is all about, has now been rebranded as kindness. I see memes and ads about being kind. Well, back in the day, when someone was polite, in actuality they were just patient and respectful. I taught my children and grandchildren to be polite and well mannered. These days there has been a drastic change in resent years. And based on the crude behavior of a certain former president, whose persona was rudeness, and belittling people all of a sudden the popular notion is that politeness is not the way to behave. It’s out dated. I say no way!

    While we no longer bow or curtsy upon greeting one another, we still don’t need to shout each other down or belittle others who disagree with us. I think In Some circles polite has been viewed as obsolete. Eventually it will return.
    I’m not young but I’m not ancient either. So I still respect my elders. I live in a community where there are people older than I am. I still respect their point of view because the have experienced more than I have. But in America, there seems to be less tolerance for older people or those who are different. As a teacher I reinforced how to behave appropriately at the beginning of each school year.

    We can teach basic knowledge and skills, but how we communicate and respond to one another is also necessary to reinforce. It takes nothing out of one’s life to be respectful and kind. Hopefully we will get more leaders who model that behavior and then politeness will become cool again.

    By the way, HappyBirthday to your daughter. That’s an important age transition. A big deal! Wow!!

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  8. Happy birthday to your daughter. Congrats to you and hubby. 21 is adult but it’s not the end of the parenthood. Polite, considerate, respectful, all of them are still quite necessary in my opinion.

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  15. Happy birthday to your daughter – 21! So many possibilities ahead, and still so many lessons.
    I had coffee with a gentleman yesterday who seemed to relish his inability to speak diplomatically in business. He feels he is speaking the truth so it doesn’t matter if he can speak professionally or politely.

    I believe in communication skills and being polite and speaking the truth are not mutually exclusive I think. It’s about respect for others.

    Winston Churchill said – “Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip

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    2. Unfortunately, in my old age, I’ve become more like “that guy” and less like Mr. Churchill. Maybe I just notice it more? I’m trying to change that because it bothers my adult children. Guess I’m not sure where they learned to be polite, then. Maybe I used to be?

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