Amarillo Is A Polite City

Shutdowns, walls, and road construction are enough to make you crazy, by themselves. Put them together, and it's just insane. How do you stay happy in 2019? Look for the little things. Someone letting into traffic, or saying "Thank you."

I had lunch at my favorite BBQ joint last week and not only was the food amazing, but the best part was still to come. As I was leaving, a man held the door for me, and I said: "Thank you."

I had noticed there were was a man and his elderly Mom behind me, so I took over door duty. Both of them smiled and said "Thank you" as they went through. I felt amazing. As it turned out, five young men were walking in as I was still holding the door, and each one of them said "Thank you" as they passed through the door.

All of this took place in less than 90 seconds. Nine people (including me) took a second or two, to acknowledge someone else's bit of proper manners. I had to stop in my neighborhood Pak-A-Sak, and I decided to pay close attention to everyone's interaction with everyone else. It was incredible! In those quick encounters

This being Texas, West Texas, in particular, the words "Please", "Thank you", along with "Yes ma'am" and "No sir" still carry a lot of weight around here. Simple things, like holding a door open for someone- men or women, earns you brief equity and doesn't take that much time. We raised our two millennial boys to say those words and open doors. It's the Amarillo way.

I'm planning to make this part of 2019 existence. I'm going to make eye contact, say "thanks", hold doors, and let people in during traffic. How about you?