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I sometimes wonder about common courtesy. I will be driving and let someone in and watch after they are in and most times they carry on without a wave or signal and no acknowledgement. Would it really hurt you to just do a casual wave of thanks? I am not looking for gratitude but it is just a simple gesture. I find that I am always either letting people in or waving thanks for someone letting me in. I have found that it has put a smile on people’s faces.

Are we just very busy and we forget or perhaps we don’t think it necessary. Have we gotten to a point where we don’t care? I hope not. Today, I saw a person who went around cars that were merging and then cut in much further down to get ahead. Inconsiderate if you ask me and provided a sense of not caring for anyone else who was patiently waiting their turn. How would that person react if someone just cut in front of them?

I also think it interesting how we will quickly honk our horn if someone wanders into our lane and get very angry but not recalling that some time in the past, we may have done the same thing and sheepishly said sorry. I saw this one person who laid on the horn as someone accidentally was changing lanes fairly close to them. The person who honked the horn pulled up beside them and yelled and the person who was changing lanes said sorry. 3-4 lights later, this car that honked did the same thing and changed lanes when not safe to do so. Now he looked, smiled and said sorry.

This does not extend to just driving. I often see someone on their cell phone as they are at the checkouts in a store. They really don’t acknowledge the cashier and just carry on their conversation. There is no regard for this person who is helping you with your groceries. Sure that is their job but they do not deserve to be ignored and your call can be put on hold for a short time. Acknowledge people please.

This is not a safe driving post but one to remind us that common courtesy is important in life and not just in driving. It does not take much effort and you would be surprised that just a simple wave of thanks or a smile goes such a long way. Take the time to just say thank you or acknowledge someone. Gratitude is a good word to remember. Fortunately, I have been on the receiving end of gratitude from so many and I do try to reciprocate. The next time you merge in or someone lets you in, just give a quick wave to say thank you. You will both smile and it has to start with you. A smile is contagious.