Please… Thank you… Would you mind if… Excuse me…Can I help with that… Sorry… Etc.,

Courtesy sounds such an old-fashioned word but it’s as relevant today as it was in years gone. In 2017 we are busier than ever with tight work schedules; childcare responsibilities; sporting and fitness commitments; financial strain and social life – whew, I’m exhausted just writing about it! So where is the connection with courtesy or lack of it in our daily lives and particularly within our relationships?

Unfortunately courtesy is often one of the first casualties as we rush to keep to our schedules.

Recently in a well-known newspaper an article suggested that courtesies are not used anymore and that it would be ridiculous to suppose they would be. Who has time for such nonsense – just get the job done was the general tone!

BUT how do we feel when we are not afforded courtesy – dismissed, sad, annoyed, put upon, not important? Consequently a lack of courtesy often announces the arrival of deterioration in our relationships. SO! Imagine a world with please; thank you etc., at grass roots. It’ s a little like smiling when we greet others – it is often contagious and who knows how far the graciousness spreads.

I recently came across the following which sums it up:

“Attitudes are contagious is yours worth catching”

Alex Roberts