Courtesy gets bad press today. Holding a door open to let the lady enter first can trigger rebukes. But I recommend it. The ladies who don't like that can say so but it doesn't make our world a kinder place.My mother put "scientist, husband, gentleman" on my father's gravestone. Over the years she told me to be a gentleman. This meant taking my hat off in the presence of a lady, giving her my seat if none are free, holding the door for her and letting her enter first, keeping to the curb side of the walk so her clothes wouldn't be splashed with mud from passing wagons, being a shield if there's trouble, not making her shake my hand, keeping a leash on my tongue even if scolded, reaching first to pay, and volunteering to do out-in-front dangerous and heavy stuff. A lot of it stuck.
Why not? A little structure makes relationships easier to launch and sands down some of the rough spots which are plentiful in all of us.
I recently lost my wife of twelve years. We had nine years of honeymoon and three of marriage. By that, I mean, we occasionally walked without holding hands and I didn't always open the car door for her. So, nine years honeymoon, three years of a good marriage.
I recently lost my wife of twelve years. We had nine years of honeymoon and three of marriage. By that, I mean, we occasionally walked without holding hands and I didn't always open the car door for her. So, nine years honeymoon, three years of a good marriage.
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