Friday, January 25, 2008

Da Count - Talk To The Finger

I recently finished reading Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss, an overview of the rudeness of modern life and the ultimate collapse of society. She hilariously sums up "Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door" in this book which parlays an important message in an offbeat and funny way.

After reading it, I felt a bit more annoyed at some of the things that bothered me about the lack of manners in today's society. No, I shouldn't say that -- it's not a lack of manners, it's more of an infusion of utter rudeness.

In her book, Truss reminds us that it just takes small things to make a positive difference, so I thought I'd focus this week's count on those people I encounter in my day to day life who aren't rude, but are instead considerate and offer a positive impact on society.

This week I'm counting . . .
  • People who use the turn signal in their vehicle
  • Colleagues who greet you with a "good morning" or "good afternoon" or at least a pleasant smile
  • Folks who use words such as "thank you" "please" "excuse me" and "you're welcome"

Three small things that can make a huge difference in another person's day.

C'mon, I know that our society is overflowing with rudeness and nastiness -- but spend a moment today looking for those people who make those tiny almost invisible attempts at infusing the world with a little grace, a little kind spirit, a little something to make the day a bit brighter. Those little things will actually make a huge difference.

And while I'm counting, I'd like to pause and thank Lynne Truss for writing this book and illustrating the importance of such behaviour. Thanks Lynne.

dacount

2 comments:

lime said...

i'm sitting here looking at that very book in my stack of 'to reads.' i think i shall bump it up a notch. thanks for a delightful count and good reminder.

Anonymous said...

I'm totally with you on this count. Unnecessary rudeness is just... unnecessary. Though with it fast becoming the norm I've been observing how genuine politeness these days can really put people off-kilter.

Cheers!