Civility Week 17: April 23, 2012

Random acts of civility I’ve noticed:

Picking up litter- Even though I grew up with the Indian on the side of the road with the tear in his eye anti-litter campaign, I am still not a good “litter picker-upper”.  I pick up my own litter, but pick something up along the street or parking lot? Ewww….I am such a germ freak that I imagine all kinds of nasty things crawling over that soda cup. So I really admire people who pick up random bits orts of trash and dispose of them properly. My own mother goes around at church picking up Kleenexes and cereal off the floor.

So, my lesson in civility this week: stop being such a pantywaste about germs and pick up that Kleenex in the pew book holder and throw it away.  Then promptly wash my hands!

Moving forward in a traffic line at a stoplight to let someone behind you get past to the right turn lane. This one I do practice quite often. I hate it when you have one lane of traffic with another right turn lane that is empty but no one can use it because no body at the front of the line will move forward ten inches.  This is not just a polite behavior to learn, it’s civil because it would save lots of cussing and tempers at the stop lights!

Waving someone forward at a four way stop. Now, this is a really generous gesture especially if it was  your turn but you are letting someone else go or if you have no idea whose turn it should be and you let another car go. But there is a caveat:  you can’t wave someone through with an angry hurry up signal. That doesn’t count! 

Letting the person behind you with only two items go ahead of you at the grocery. This is a really nice one I see every once in a while and I try to be aware of it when I’m in line with my cart full.

People who plant gorgeous flowers and plants in their front yards.  I think people who plant anything in their front yards do it to make other people happy!  If I look outside at my house it’s usually toward my backyard, a habit I had from when my kids were little I guess!  But I love to have flowers and shrubs in my front yard not only to make my house look nice, but to give other people pleasure too. I love driving by houses and seeing flowers in bloom and colorful plants and those cute wooden or metal cutouts in their yards. It’s like you’re saying: “Hey! Welcome to the neighborhood!” or “Thanks for visiting my neighborhood!” 

Have you noticed some random acts of civility? Write me back so I can include them! I think we need a “Random Acts of Civility” program . We can begin on the local level and work our way up to the world!