Politeness

I’m sure you all know by now, but I am a fan of politeness and manners. Every morning on the way to work I have to walk past the front door of a lower level lodging establishment that does not seem to allow smoking inside or in the rooms. They also seem to be a central hub for bus tours, for every morning there are at least two coaches waiting outside, with luggage strewn all over the pavement and smoking patrons waiting to board the conveyance.

Normally, the patrons are of Japanese or American decent (please bear in mind, these observations are a generalisation and not a rule). The Japanese tend to be quite happy to let the locals weave their way to work while they chain-smoke 7 cigarettes so the blood in the body doesn’t dilute the nicotine levels too much during the trip to wherever. The Americans tend to have the stereo-typical look and sound about them, white socks with sandals, money belts and ‘I heart New York’ t-shirts stretched over a beer belly that would put Father Christmas to shame. The volume of their conversations about how weird the food is in Ozztraalia could also be reduced to a dull roar.

You can image my surprise, when yesterday I was approaching said establishment and two such Americans when they stopped, moved to the side, waved a hand in the direction I was going and said ‘After you ma’am, and have a good day’.

Surprisingly enough, I had a very good day.

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