Psst! I Have a Secret Weapon…
Recently a friend asked me why I always seemed so happy? She stated that there are many bad things that happen in the news each day. I agreed! There are tragedies that are always occurring in our personal lives, our communities and our world.
But, I have a “secret weapon”. One that my mother taught me years ago. Mom said if I would do something special each day for someone else, then my life would be joyous and I would have a boatload of friends!
This advice was given when I was in High School. High School is such a difficult time and peer pressure, how one looks, the clothes you wear, the group you are associated with, are all MAJOR big deals. I saw myself as too tall, very skinny (imagine), pimples, hair that had a mind of its own and generally just no confidence!
I decided to activate my “secret weapon” and before long, things began to happen. It was so easy and took very little effort. Even though school was a long time ago, I have shared my “secret weapon” with over 10,000 boys and girls who have gone through our etiquette training. Do one thing special for someone each day and your life will change.
Today, that one thing a day can be a telephone call to someone you haven’t talked to in a while; a birthday card, herbs or flowers from your garden, food that you cooked and have enough to share, a note congratulating someone on a special accomplishment, a book that you enjoyed and chose to pass on, dinner or an activity with a friend, sending an article that appeared in a newspaper or electronically that is of interest to one of your friends, taking an elder person to an appointment or to lunch, etc., etc., etc.
All of us are so involved with our lives that many times we simply forget to think past ourselves.
Yes, it is true! My “secret weapon” continues to make me smile. Try it yourself and ….
that will Make Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
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What Makes A Man?
Every now and then I read something that simply warms the cockles of my heart. An article appeared in the Atlanta Journal, Sports section, March 28, about a young man, Jason Heyward, who made the Braves team and will be playing right fielder, opening day.
As you read about Jason’s family and their reaction to their son’s success, you get the sense that this is a pretty tight family with loads of values. Conversations end with phrases like “Love you, Dad”.
Hitting coach Terry Pendleton said to Jason’s father, “You have done an excellent job with that young man”. Those are words that all parents like to hear. But the best comment came from Jason’s grandfather who said many times to this young man growing up, “Manners take you where money won’t!”
What a quote and certainly one…that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
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Fish Smell After 3 Days, Do You?
When you live in the North and like to travel south to Florida in the winter, Atlanta is the perfect place to have friends.
I always chuckle when I read a “Dear Abby’ column about house guests who wreck the family schedule by staying too long, expecting to be entertained and use the family’s personal things without asking.
I’ve never experienced this scenario in our own home and I’ve always thought that nobody could be that bad, but my neighbor came over last night and shared how hard it had been to have ‘passing through’ house guests for a long weekend. They weren’t close friends, they were people they once lived near in another city and with whom they’d ‘loosely’ kept in touch. My neighbor and her husband both work full time and they have children in school, so they have limited time and keep a routine going. The long weekend turned out to be a marathon of meal preparing – breakfast, lunch and dinner. On the evening they did go out to dinner the house guests did not reach for the check. And on afternoon excursions they did not offer to pay for the parking or the admission to the museum or, or, or.... it kept going on. They helped themselves to things around the house, in the pantry, in the fridge – all before being offered. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the morning that my neighbor walked into her kitchen to find Mrs. LongAgoAndFarAway on the family laptop, which contained plenty of private information. Can you believe this behavior? And it happened next door – not in a newspaper column. So yes, people really can be that bad!
My Mom used to say “Fish begin to smell after 3 days”. That is a great gauge for people who stay in someone’s home. Leave before the visit begins to smell and you may well get asked back! Being a good house guest ...
...now that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
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Girl Pals…
Last night, one of my close girlfriends invited a group of us to come over for dinner. Becky, Anne, Janie, Faye and I have known each other for many years. In fact, we have been celebrating all of our birthdays together for 30 years. During that time we have been there for each other’s children’s births, children’s birthdays, illnesses, divorce, remarriage, new jobs, starting a business, children’s weddings and, this year, the first death of a husband.
Well, our wonderful evening together was filled with tons of girl talk. Things like upcoming marriages of our children, grandchildren, travel, latest books read and many more topics. The evening had a warm glow of girl buds savoring the friendship of the past and looking forward to the future.
My husband has a Guy Saturday Morning Breakfast that has been happening for 15 years. I always want to know what they talk about because I hear how much fun they have. Well here goes ... they discuss football, any other sport of the season, politics, latest stock market trends and hot tips in the business world.
Why don’t guys have fun things to talk about? Probably because as women we are the relationship builders and nesters. It’s ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’, isn’t it?
But aren’t we thankful that we can still celebrate and tolerate our differences?
... and that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
Posted via email from The American School of Protocol's Posts
When Can I Eat?
Recently in one of my blogs we talked about when to start eating if you are at the food court. With everyone hurrying back to their jobs and schedules, we decided that it was OK to start eating even though not everyone had returned to the table.
There is a major difference though in how you handle the ‘when do I start eating?’ in a restaurant or home setting. When the main course arrives at the table, everyone sits with hands in laps until all the plates are put down. Then everyone begins eating together.
Now, let’s suppose that, for whatever reason, one plate has to return to the kitchen. The individual who has no food should now instruct us to please start eating. How terribly uncomfortable it is for the ‘foodless’ person if everyone just sits and makes no attempt to eat. So, the rest of us eat just one bite, put our forks down, take one small piece of bread, rest our hands in our laps, take a sip of our drink and repeat the whole process of slowly eating so that we aren’t finished by the time the foodless person gets his food back.
As the rest of the world often refers to Americans as ‘woofers’ because we eat so quickly, dining slowly and thoughtfully for others is a good thing for everyone.
... and that Makes Momma Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
Posted via email from The American School of Protocol's Posts
Is First Name too Familiar?
Last night we had dinner with two other couples and a very interesting question came up. One of the couples has just moved back to Atlanta from the northwest. This young family enrolled their 3 year old in a Mothers Morning Out program. The wife stated that here in the south, she was surprised that children could call their teacher by his/her first name, by simply putting Miss or Mr. in front – Miss Debbie, Mr. Mike. The couple asked my opinion and, as always, I was happy to share my thoughts.
When children are given permission to call their teacher Miss Debbie, that dilutes adult power by bringing a child’s first name and a teacher’s first name closer together. Deference has practically faded today between teachers and students. The fact that we allow teachers to be called Miss Anything greatly contributes to that decline. Many public schools in America are scary places to teach because of a lack of respect for authority.
I’d love to hear your opinion. What do you think about children calling teachers by their first names? Why do you think this came into practice? Your thoughts...
...always Make Mama Happy!
The American School of Protocol
...where training is our passion
Posted via email from The American School of Protocol's Posts