Politeness and Friendship
"It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship."
~Colette~
Friends are the people we can just kick back with. We don't have to treat them special; they'll love us anyway. So we take them for granted. No need to clean up, watch our language, or listen to them respectfully. That's the kind of stuff we save for the people we don't know very well.
Why is it we so often treat the people closest to us with the least care? We're polite to the waitress who beings us coffee, but we can't spare a happy smile for our best friend because we're in a bad mood.
I'll experiment with treating my closest friends just as nicely as I treat the many strangers and casual acquaintances in my life. My friends may be surprised at my sudden politeness, but I'll bet they like it.
No comments:
Post a Comment