Uncommon Courtesy

In the last week three things have happened to me that reminded me what was necessary to be impressively awesome:

1. While I was at the store, a woman purposefully ran her stroller into my leg and barely said excuse me at a store. This happened after she nearly ran her stroller into our cart (she wasn't looking where she was going).
2. We were at a pizza place that was crowded with furniture. A woman squeezed by our table without saying excuse me or asking to move our pizza stand. The result was her ass was nearly in our pizza (I mean, like an inch at max away).
3. Someone stole my basil plant from my front stoop while I was at home. It disappeared right out of the pot.

Needless to say it brought a point home - common courtesy is very uncommon.

So what do you have to do to be impressively courteous? It's simple. Do what you would have done to you. So if you wouldn't want someone to behave a certain way to you, then you shouldn't do it. If you don't want someone's ass in your pizza, go ahead and say with a smile, "Excuse me, can I move this so I can get by?"

Use expressions like:

• Excuse me
• Please
• Thank you
• How are you?
• I'm sorry

These are underrated, but very necessary to smoothing situations. Add to these gestures of welcome such as:

• Smiling
• Waving
• Bowing
• Holding doors
• Extended arm with open palm (open/welcome gesture)
• Well timed thoughtful/concerned looks

This may sound like an elementary lesson in manners, but many of these things are no longer practiced. I know when someone does these things for me, it makes me feel valued and respected. I like to do these things for others to let them know I recognize their humanity and respect it.

Someone who is impressively awesome should be confident, not an animal. Uncommon courtesy is a way to ensure people think of you as impressively awesome - because when you treat others with respect and dignity, it is remembered.