Simple things....

Mmmm...how is it a such a simple thing can have such a profound effect?

A simple smile.

A brief hello.

A polite thank you.

A question that begins with please.

A ear to listen.

A respectful sir or ma'am.

A well mannered man who opens the car door.

A giving child who shares a toy.

I can go on and name many, many simple things that mean so very much to many people. My question is why is it that kids are not taught these social 'do'? Don't get me wrong I know many people who do the majority of the above. I have been noticing that the younger generation does not. That makes me sad to realize that what is known as respect and common courtesy is not being passed on.

On the flipside I know many people that don't practice many of these themselves. I can understand to some extent that men don't open car doors for women because some women take that as a sign that they are not 'independent'. I have been guilty of this before and I have always regretted it. I think it is a grand gesture.

How many times I have seen kids throw themselves on the floor because another child has touched 'their' toy. The same toy that sat in the corner and was collecting dust. It melts my heart to see a child take a deep breathe and say "here, you can play with it.".

How many times do you smile at a stranger? Family? Friends? I noticed lately that I have been smiling much more and doing so makes me 'approachable'. I use this during clinicals and you can see a change in the patients when they feel as they have a friendly smile to go to when they are needing something.

Like I have said, I could go on and on, but I won't. I just was thinking how much of a difference you can make in a persons life but just putting such a small effort into doing the 'right' thing.