Where is the love?...Part One

I'm proud to say that I was born and raised in the Midwest. My parents taught me to always treat people with respect, be polite and use "please" and "thank you" when needed. Living by the Golden Rule became a no-brainer for me. It was second nature. The funny thing is that I always thought Midwesterners such as myself were famous for being kind and considerate people. I really don't understand people and the lack of courtesy they have for others nowadays. People rarely acknowledge each other as they pass on the streets, drudging along like zombies with their cell phones surgically attached to their heads.

Sadly, I must admit I work in a retail setting. (oh, the horror!) I spend the majority of my days behind a pharmacy counter. I get to see first-hand how people mistreat one another, and I'm not just talking about the trashy inbreds who wander in the store to scream and cuss you out because their Vicodin is not being covered on public aid (that's another post for another time). I'm also not necessarily discussing those rude people who refuse to get off the phone while I'm trying to assist them, because loudly asking their significant other on the line whether they want them to pick up skim milk or 1% milk is far more important than me trying to do my job. (That is for another post as well.) I don't know..I guess I just wish people were a little bit nicer, like they used to be.

Don't get me wrong...there are those rare gems out there who will smile as people pass by, those who will hold the door open for others, people who will look others in the eye as they speak to them. Those are the people who make me smile, the ones that make me proud to have brought a kid in this somewhat crappy, occasionally disheartening world.