What's the Buzz?

Civility. Ok, can we all agree that there is way too much ranting and raving in our lives today? I don’t know about you but I have had it! There seems to be a lot of yelling going on and anger is seeping into our lives everyday from everywhere. This can’t be good for our well being. I mean, think about it, we make a huge effort to eat right [well some people], exercise [again, some people], and then we end up with our blood pressure going though the roof over something totally insignificant. Like, for instance, when I’m in the coffee shop and the person in front of me gets the wrong order; yikes, the rudeness that follows. It’s only coffee, take a pulse, chill out, rein it in. I know, I know. I myself, have been known to flip out when our lunch order arrives at my office and someone decided I wanted my sandwich with onions when I specifically said “no onions”. It can ruin your day, if you are slightly crazed.

Yes, we all are affected by rude behavior that has almost become acceptable on a daily basis, just going about our daily life - on the subway, in line at the market, picking up at the dry cleaners, waiting for your pizza. Don’t we just want everything to run smoothly? Can’t we all just get along?

Not that long ago, while visiting my daughter in San Francisco, I witnessed something truly amazing. I was on a city bus when a guy ran up to the front of the bus frantically shouting “I missed my stop!” From past experiences, I was thinking “tough luck buddy”. Wow! What a shock… the driver pulled over and HAPPILY explained to the guy how to backtrack. The bus rider thanked the driver so much. After all the pleasantries were exchanged they went on with their day. I was thrilled to see how nice they were to each other as I sat daydreaming about how great the day was going to be for the both of them, and me too!

Here’s a thought. What if we all made a pledge to be more pleasant to everyone we came in contact with everyday? What kind of difference would it make in our lives? I did try and practice this for a short while. I’m going to resurrect the idea starting today! I have been known to be a bit of a “hot-head” sometimes and have been guilty of ranting and raving myself. Of course, the people I work with would find this unbelievable but I think it may have happened a time or two. Today I am going to be Ms. Pleasant and I’ll see if there is any transformation in my world. I hope everyone will give it a shot as well. Why not start today? One thing that might help is to shut off all the noise on the radio and TV. It is so unpleasant, too much ranting and raving, don’t you think? As I always say, If you feel the need to chill out in front of the TV, please stick to the cartoons!

Peggy Burns
Queen Bee