courtesy – From the Desk of Pennwell Gray

Bringing the Five C’s into our Daily Lives.

There was a time in my life when I appeared uptight, yet I wasn’t. Well, maybe a little bit but I would say reserved, not uptight. Today I’m as outgoing as ever even though I’m an introvert by nature, a walking paradox.

As down to earth as I am, however, I do believe that there is a time and place for certain things. I also believe in decorum and manners, humility and gratitude. I’m not a fan of obnoxious behavior, rude people, or inappropriate heckling – goes back to time and place. I think we should learn to sit with discomfort, afford ourselves the opportunity to build coping skills and well, grow up. I think boasting on social media about your good deeds comes across as attention seeking rather than promoting the generosity of your heart. And as I follow current events and witness how people on all societal levels speak and act, how they treat each other, I find it rather disheartening.

This is certainly not a holier than thou post. It is not filled with piety or judgment, but rather a perspective based on observations.

What seems to be lacking is civility, courtesy, compassion, communication and collaboration.

Greetings and Salutations.

More and more I notice the lack of social skills, manners and common courtesy toward others. It seems to be evident everywhere I turn – from running errands and day to day activities to work meetings and emails.

I received an email today – not work related – that didn’t have as much as a hello. It jumped right into what could have been interpreted as a plethora of criticism and judgment based on assumptions. My guess was the person skimmed the message and replied without actually reading, digesting then responding. It was quite obvious. She was talking with herself, aloud, via email. Continue reading “Greetings and Salutations.”

Tip of the day.

Turn signals. Such a basic rule of the road that’s often ignored, forgotten or disregarded.