God save Naples FL

When I think back of all the places that I lived growing up, and it twas quite a few I realize that nowhere I lived contained as many rude, selfish, ignorant people as Naples FL. It's like when you move here you have to take asshole 101 before you can switch your license over.

I was walking from my car into the library earlier today and this is what I witnessed.

Camry backs out of spot, red truck has sat patiently waiting for this to happen for the full five minuets I was there hauling my stuff out of my car. Then a Cadillac pulls up, red truck being nice b/c he knows he's going to have to back up and do some maneuvering stays still while Cadillac pulls right around him and into the spot. I mean this guy in the truck was waiting for this spot with his blinker on for over five minuets, parking lot rules say that was so his spot! So as the caddy is pulling in the spot the truck guy is honking and putting his hands up like wtf and caddy man doesn't even look back. At this point the guy in the truck hauls out of there in disgust(I imagine...I would be disgusted)and so because I have a huge mouth and can't help myself I wait for the guy in the caddy to get out. Then because it's been a heck of a day and I cut my last thread to sanity a good hour and a half before this I say...."umm so you know that guy you just cut out of that parking spot was waiting for it for a while before you got here right?" and the old guy says "what?"(of course it's an old guy who can't hear...they should instigate involuntary driving tests over age sixty five)so I repeat myself and he says "so he should have pulled in, what did I do wrong?" with attitude. I then said in my super rude if my gran gran knew she's wash my mouth out with soap voice...Oh my sir, I'm so sorry, I forgot I'm in Naples where people have no manners and are rude to everyone just because they can be. My bad. God forbid anyone follow the rules and have manners.

It's just like at work. I'll be at work and someone will show up thirty minuets late for a reservation with not so much as a phone call saying they are running behind. So they get there and there is no table because hey you picked the time Chickie so it's not like it was a surprise and for that matter you could have picked up the phone and said hey I'm running behind can you hold my table. So I say in my super sweet forced by management voice. I do apologize(excuse me while I get the vapors)however we did have your table reserved at six and it's now six forty five so I'd be glad to put you at the top of the wait list but it is going to be just a bit. Then the " BUT I HAVE A RESERVATION" starts and the Oh you don't know who your messing with....we come here all the time.....we'll see how long you work here crap. They somehow miss the fact that they are late for a reservation they themselves made and that if it was so important for them to sit immediately upon entering the building they should have perhaps showed up on time...or gasp lower themselves to calling and admitting their oopsy.

But oh yes, once again I forgot....I'm in Naples and it's mandatory that everyone be a super-jerk.

Just to send some good thoughts out there.

I have often wondered what it would be like if everyone was just a bit nicer. Just let that one car in front of you on the road. Just hold the door open that extra bit for the person behind you. Let the person with just one thing go check out in front of you in line at the supermarket. Offer to help the elderly lady with the arms full of stuff. Help the bus boy out at the restaurant and keep your table clean. Just make a daily effort not to be a jerk and to do something nice. Even when you are busy and have a lot going on. You never know what little thing you might do that might make a world of difference to someone. I will never ever forget how much the guys at the tire place helped me out when I got that flat in the rain, with no AAA and between paychecks.

However in my never ending attempts to be just a bit kinder I have noticed something, thank you's have gone by the wayside. At some point people decided that saying thank you for a kindness was simply not necessary. Perhaps that's why so few people do nice things these days.

I have had enough of horrid manners, I am so done with them I can't even put it into words.

Umm hey there I just held the door open for you and your in-laws and your five screaming children while you pushed the sixth through the door in a stroller and you can't spare me so much as a thanks? If not because you want to show your kids how they ought to be acting then because you feel some form of gratitude.

But alas no, that would be the unthinkable. So I've started to fight back....with kindness. I held the door open for a lady yesterday who breezed through with out a look back so I simply said oh hi there I do believe you dropped something and of course she said what...the answer was staring me in the face.....I believe you've dropped your manners. The brief moment of confusion passed across her features and I could see the thoughts at war inside her head
Why is this strange girl talking to me...
What could I have possibly done wrong...

Then before she could continue her jedi mind war I said in the sweetest tone I know...I was just under the impression when someone does you a favor, such as holding a door open for you the proper response is thank you, but maybe I'm mistaken. You have a good afternoon now ya hear?

I know that one is not supposed to question your elders but when the elders act like toddlers but with out the joyous heart something must be done. So I think I'm going to start calling people on it. At work I can only get away with the sly "your welcome" when no thank-you is forthcoming because that's almost an automatic response for people but out it in every day life....Watch out people best pull your best manners up!