Friday, August 13, 2010

Whatever Happened To...

Thank you? No, really. Thank you.

Where has it gone?

A simple two word phrase that shows appreciation for an act, thought, and/or object done for or to another person.

Go ahead. Say it. How long did that take? Maybe a second?

So why is it so hard to say? Are we that self-conscious or withdrawn into our shell of indifference that we cannot express the simplest phrase of appreciation? Hell, you can even say "thanks" and cut it in half, yet we still don't say it.

I write about this because I had the opportunity to perform an act of kindness today, and I took it. I held the door open for someone that had their hands full and would have either dropped the baby they were holding or the food they had just received. Because of my unselfish act, this person was able to exit a building without injuring the fruit of their loins or their fruit. As I moved aside to let them pass with my outstretched arm holding back a steel and glass weapon of impending doom, I must admit I fully expected a voiced acknowledgment about the ease of movement I personally provided. But no. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Not even a head nod or eye contact to offer a gleaning of thanks.

Now, I wish I could say the person had an exposed femur or the baby was sucking on its own eyeball to necessitate such a hurried and quiet escape, but no such luck. The kid was quiet, the lady was quiet, and the well-oiled door was quiet. I even gave them an additional two seconds to perhaps throw back the "I'm sorry I've got a lot of other things on my mind" thanks, but that didn't happen either. So I did what any self-respecting individual would do in light of such a transgression. I yelled, "You're welcome!" after them.

The lady turned and gave me a look of confusion, as if she didn't understand the scene that had taken place between us. "You know, for the door," I replied. She then just turned and walked on.

Okay, maybe I'm an ass for expecting a thank you and for making a big deal out of something that is relatively trivial in the grand scheme of things. BUT...MAYBE I'M NOT. Maybe, the grand scheme of things is to show appreciation to our fellow members of society and reach out to those in our community and beyond to continually reinforce those ideals of kindness, generosity, and community. Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, the more we show thanks and appreciation to those that come into and affect our lives for the better, however briefly, the more we come to appreciate our own lives and the blessings we've been afforded. Then again, maybe not. But I will BET that lady says "thank you" or even its pronoun-challenged cousin "thanks" to the next person that holds open a door for her.

Thank you for reading this blog. I sincerely appreciate it.

Welcome and...Did Someone Just Pour Out Your Tea?

So...my inaugural blog. I must admit I have never officially blogged before - commented on posts in Facebook and other websites, but have never originated a post that expressed a range of topics or thoughts that I intended for others to read and comment upon.

Let me first express this: I welcome every and all comments. I am not arrogant enough to believe my opinion on any subject is the gospel, so I look forward to viewing what the general population has to say on whatever mental vomit happens to project itself throughout this blog. At the very least, I would ask that personal attacks be left out and the guilty left anonymous to protect what's left of their misguided actions and statements.

On that note, I shall commence...

"Did Someone Just Pour Out Your Tea?"

It is amazing to me what people get upset over. Like the world just ended, cannot continue with life, I should just end it all now kind of angry - but over the most asinine things. I am guilty of the former, however, in my defense, those situations dealt with perhaps a more noble principle than what I will soon describe. But back to the story...A person threw a fit over someone pouring out their tea. Let me repeat that - A person (an adult and not a 5 year old child) threw a fit over someone pouring out their tea (a beverage derived from stewing tea leaves in water). The escapade ranged from the usual comments of, "Well, someone must have poured it out, 'cuz I didn't do it" to then repeated questioning of the same f'ing question.

"Did you do it?"
"No, I didn't. You already asked me that. I'm not changing my answer just because you asked me three times."
"Well, someone did it. Just tell me. Did you do it?"
"No. Why are you accusing me?"
"Because someone poured out my tea!"

Now, that's not the kicker. The best part came when it was suggested to just make some more.

"Uhh, I'm sorry someone poured out your tea. Can't you just make some more?"
"No! It takes 4 hours to make!!!"

WTF?!?!?

Four hours to brew tea? What kind of tea is this? I will admit I know nothing about tea, besides that Lipton makes it with lemon and restaurants in the South serves cups of sugar with a little bit splashed in there, but c'mon! Four hours!? That tea had better give you superpowers or an immediate 'O face' because there isn't any drink that I would spend four hours to make that didn't do those things.

When questioned about what kind of tea takes four hours to make, the answer was a grumbled, incoherent stomping off, which still leaves me with the pressing question of what kind of tea actually takes four hours to make.

Now, there is actually some good that came out of this. A new idiom and addition to the English language. When you're pissed about something or see someone that's in a bad mood, you can say, "Did someone pour out your tea?" or "Wow. You look like someone just poured out your tea."

It actually has a nice ring and slides off the tongue quite well. More so than the "spilt milk" saying, which is just chastising anyway. At least mine presents an opportunity to inquire about someone's current mood and open a dialogue to their feelings.

I encourage all of you to use this new expression whenever you can, or make additions to it. Are there variations of "pouring out your tea?" Let me hear it!