Who knew that at gymnastics class
The other Mom would behave like an ass
When I tried to sit down
She responded in frown
And said “Seat’s taken” (you unworthy lass)
Yeah that.
I’m not sure who gave Moms the right to treat fellow Moms so poorly. What?! Your purse sitting on the empty chair–as a place-saver for someone else, who obviously is not here?? How am I supposed to watch my son climbing the rope, as he looks over to wave at me, so that I can wave back and give him a thumbs up?
From a standing position, by the door, obviously.
I felt like young Forrest Gump as he boards the school bus with his gimpy leg, and no one lets him sit by them. Except Jenny.
A tip to that Mom: the next time you are in a crowded waiting area, try to be more like Jenny and less of a “seat’s taken” kinda person.
My grandmother had a needlepoint hanging in her living room that was stitched, “Take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” As a kid, I didn’t know what the hell that meant. Now I do.
It’s about being in the present. And making your time count.
With busy, overscheduled schedules, you’ve heard the phrase “it only takes two minutes.” And “there aren’t enough minutes in the day.” This refers to things such as:
flossing
hugging your children
doing stomach crunches
filling up your aluminum water bottle
sitting with your children and asking about their day
checking in with your family on Facebook
reading a book to your child
calling to schedule your mammogram
tweezing your eyebrows
making a sandwich for your child’s lunch
doing 50 push ups
writing an email to your mother
folding half a load of laundry
putting on sunscreen
connecting with 10 Tweeps
scrubbing out the toilet
feeding the goldfish
shaving yur legs
petting the dog
writing a thank you note to your kids’ teacher
putting on mascara and lipstick
making a big batch of tuna for sandwiches the next day
sweeping the kitchen floor
setting the family dinner table
running a vacuum across the living room
filling up the bird feeder
thawing the frozen chicken for dinner
emailing the latest kid’s photo to their grandparents
writing a nice comment on a blog post
taking inventory of all the things you are thankful for
IMing your husband some sweet words
watering the plants above your kitchen sink
laying out coats, backpacks, and shoes the night before
making a protein smoothie
sitting quietly and just breathing
That’s all fine and good. But when you add two minutes here and two minutes there, that’s a lot of minutes. No wonder we often feel overwhelmed.
The point is, you can’t DO everything. You need to pick and choose. Maybe, today is the day you pick and choose a few of the “want tos” rather than the “have tos.” Take some time for yourself. Take some time for your loved ones. Isn’t that more important than cleaning the stupid floor?
And maybe, you’ll find that that time is time well spent.
Have we gotten too busy or too self-focused to remember our manners and practice simple acts of decency to one another?
Hold the door for the person behind you.
I was walking into a department store and held the door open for an elderly woman. She took awhile to get there. So long that I could have pounded out a few tweets. But I stood there patiently. And didn’t let the door hit her in the face, like some people do. She was so grateful and thanked me for about five minutes. Seriously?
When someone is merging onto the freeway and the lane is running out, let them in, for goodness sake.
I am always running late. Driving late. Whatever. But if someone is trying to get onto the freeway, chances are, they are also running late. Must you get ahead of them? Or perhaps, let them merge in front of you. Not only is it the nice thing to do, it’s kinda the law.
When at the grocery store and your cart is overflowing, let the guy with three items go in front of you.
Chances are, he is purchasing a frozen pizza, Pop Tarts, and beer. It’s probably urgent that he get home to party. What’s a few extra minutes? It’ll give you the chance to read more about The Kardashians.
When in line at the deli and the person cuts in front of you, let her go first, even if you KNOW you were there first.
Do you really need to make a stink about it? An elderly woman made a bee line for the deli counter and clearly cut in front of me. She was in a hurry to order a pound of potato salad, apparently. I was about to say something, but didn’t. Maybe she had poor eyesight? Maybe this was her last potato salad? Or maybe she had lost her manners?
Mama always said, “When you get a present, be sure to write a thank-you note. It’s the right thing to do.”
Times have changed, but manners should not.
In lieu of forcing your children to write thank-you notes to their gift-givers, simply take a picture of your child holding the present (gift card, ugly sweater, Legos, whatever) and email the picture to the gift-giver. Or post it on Facebook.
Presto. Done.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Whew, no thank-you notes looming.
I energetically mother three children: 14, 10, and 8, am married to my college sweetheart, and have two dogs. My life is full of laughs. eye rolls, love, and laundry. I'm friendly and genuine and blog about my bumbling life.
