In our world today, there has been a tremendous amount of unkindness. We often don’t think of others anymore, and we most certainly hold ourselves in high positions in our minds. The trend that I have unfortunately noticed over the past couple of weeks is the level of disrespect towards complete strangers. The more I have observed, the more I notice that we are not treating others like we would like to be treated. Instead, everyone but ourselves has become a sort of doormat. We exclude, we ignore, and we disrespect anyone and everyone and most do not even give it a single thought.

I am the kind of gal who holds the door open for anyone that is potentially on my radar. I am also that girl who makes sure that she says thank you a million times when something is done for her. I was raised with manners and I was taught the value of politeness. Today, as I hold doors open for people the one consistent thing that I notice, is that I am not being noticed. The more I think about how many times I have held a door open for someone without thanks or acknowledgement most often it is like I was a wasn’t even there in the first place. I do not want to be praised or thanked every time I open a door, but a look, smile, or a nod is common courtesy. Being ignored is often expected, and I take this very well because I worked in the service industry and the work often goes unnoticed, but someone who hasn’t experienced the service industry may not have the thick skin others have developed. It is a sad thought to think that someone who is having a bad day may not get that smile that they need. Someone who had a rough day may very well get a door slammed in their face, or someone who is trying to simply be kind may just be completely ignored.

I am not perfect all of the time, but I make a true effort to see that everyone feels appreciated. If everyone could turn this trend of negativity around, it would do wonders for every single person. We need to set examples and realize that no one person is better than another. Learning to break away from the trend of being self-centered is important because that could directly impact another person. Everyone should be thanked for the work that they do. I encourage you to observe this trend as well and make sure you thank as many people as you can because you never know who may need it.