Thursday, May 5, 2011

Minding My Manners

I go to an all girls school. I am surrounded by bright, beautiful, and ambitious women. We normally approach differences calmly and use the people skills our parents (or Emily Post... or both!) instilled in us. We are southern (or converted southern) ladies.



However, there comes a time in mid-april where the world seems to collapse around every college student, and we are left, buried in our work-loads with a single minded focus on the light of summer at the end of our tunnels. The lack of sleep, caffeine, and stress levels turn us into touchy, grumpy, monsters that should come with a warning sign. And while I know manners are considered of extreme importance in the south, even us southern school kids make mistakes!



This week, I have been quick to point fingers, quick to share other's "mistreatment" of me, and gotten myself in the middle of fights between friends. It is times like this that I especially find that I need someone to take my side. Whether it is that the teacher graded me too harshly, what that boy did to me was wrong, or that I made the right choice for my summer plans. I know this is needy of me and I am working on being on my own side on a more consistent basis. As they say... the best friend you will ever have is yourself! But whatever happens, I know that there will be tears next week as we say goodbye to each other and the petty squabbles will be forgotten.

We've almost made it girls!


So my goal for the next week is to be patient with others (they are just as frazzled as me), be less sensitive (they probably don't even realize how they sound) and give more hugs. I know I could definitely use more than I have been getting. It is easy to use my manners when everything is perfect in my life... now I need to practice using them when they aren't.

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