Common Courtesy - Beach, Ballpark, and Bums

I mean, seriously, what the hell happened to it?  Common courtesy comes in different forms - from strangers, to colleagues, to (former) loved ones.

If you walk into someone accidentally on the street, say "sorry" - or at least offer an "oops, my bad."  I went to three Mets games this weekend - and it was awesome. Of course there is going to be bumping, and walking into people, and cutting in front of people - these things happen because of the layout, the number of people (kids and adults alike), excitement, etc.  All it takes to resolve that is an "excuse me."  Sometimes, even a smile and a nod would suffice - some sort of action saying, "hey, I wasn't trying to be douche-y, and we are all trying to make our way to our seats or the bathroom or the hot dog stand."  And all is well again in the world of common decency. Most ballpark goers share this sentiment, and do their best to avoid unnecessary walking/bumping errors.  And, it was my observation the people clad in Yankees garb had the biggest sense of entitlement to walk everywhichdirection without acknowledging their fellow baseball lovers (even though those dopes probably weren't baseball lovers anyway).

Then, there are the beachgoers.  Really, most of these people have no sense of common courtesy, and have no idea of personal space and impact on other beachgoers.  Yes, there is sand everywhere; and yes, the wind blows; and yes, when you walk sand gets kicked up.  But, you have to teach your kids to at least ATTEMPT to go around my blanket... and, you know, sometimes the kids aren't even the worst.  God forbid you have to walk in front of someone and forego holding hands with your manpiece for the .5 seconds it takes to go around someone's blanket - OR THE PERSON. Some clown pretty much kicked sand directly on me as I was sitting in my chair.  Yes, I am a clutz and I walk in random angles (they are still technically straight lines), but at least I make an effort to avoid disrupting other people's spaces.  And sometimes I do accidentally kick sand on someone's blanket, but I turn around, acknowledge my oops, and carry on with my day.  If they want to stay mad, fine, that's their beef, but I at least acknowledge my fumble.

You are teaching kids it is OK to be inconsiderate of other people's space and are giving them a heightened sense of entitlement - yea, that's a winning lesson for life.

Speaking of fumbles, there were many beachgoers tossing around balls and frisbees - and I was on the dividing line of one end.  A ball or two bopped my way (from 2 different groups) - they ran over, apologized, made a joke about their lack of athleticism and then attempted to make an adjustment in their throwing angle/power/whatever.  That's all we ask - an attempt and being considerate of your fellow folks trying to enjoy the sunshine as much as you.

If you shared your life with someone at some point (especially a recent "some point"), and an event occurs (where that person would be impacted by it in some way - emotionally, physically, morally) - whether it be tragic or otherwise - it is common decency to call (or text or email) that person to let them know what happened.  Regardless of the state of your relationship, the phone should have been picked up - some effort should have been made to contact that person directly.  Finding out second or third hand (or reading it online) is just inappropriate and inexcusable.  Maybe it all goes back to the cowardice thing.

We are all sharing this trip around the sun - so why not be a bit more courteous to make the ride more fun?