I was just at the grocery store, and all of us who had lined up to do self-checkout watched in disbelief as a woman, after paying for her groceries, pulled out her cell phone and texted someone --  and waited for the response.  And texted back.  And waited for the response.  And texted back again.  

Now, that would have been completely fine if she had taken her bags and stepped away from the machine first so others could use it.  But she hadn't. The line stretched back into the frozen foods.  Grumbles were heard. Comments were made.  She never looked up.  Finally, the clerk asked her to move aside. She did, with -- believe it or not -- an annoyed look at the clerk while she continuing texting. 

I don't know about you, but every day I see plenty of people treating each other without much -- or any -- courtesy.  It could be something as simple as not replacing the copy machine toner cartridge at work, or eating the last piece of pizza at dinner.  It could be aggressive driving, or yelling at sporting events. And many times, like the woman at the grocery store, it's just as simple as being oblivious of everyone else -- completely unaware of how your actions affect others around you.Alright, I'll confess. I'm guilty of it, too.

Here are my excuses, depending on the situation: I'm too busy to help.  Someone didn't treat me right.  It's not fair.  They deserved it.  I need to (insert current "to do" list item).  Someone else can do it.  Oops, I didn't realize (insert current situation).  Regardless of the reason, it just reinforces how me-centric our society has become.  It's all about me: what's best for me, what's right for me, what I deserve.  Looking out for #1 is our top priority.  All of which makes courtesy to others not so "common" anymore.

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop with grownups!  As we raise our children to be strong individuals and to believe in themselves, are we also reinforcing this me-centric view?  Are we neglecting to show them how to treat others?  Are we not explaining how their actions affect others?  Are we growing up without compassion for others? 

Courtesy shouldn't be uncommon -- it should be completely common, second nature common, automatically common.  And that might be one of the biggest favors we can do for our children: teaching them to treat others with kindness and respect.  To show other children common courtesy.

The great thing is, it's really not that hard to do.  The fast and easiest way is to model your behavior so that they learn by the examples you show them.  I started yesterday, by not complaining about the person who cut me off on the road.  And I put the cart back at the grocery store.  (Baby steps really, but at least the cart wasn't rolling out of control around the parking lot).  I hope as my daughters see how I treat people or how I respond to things that happen to me or us, they will adjust how they act and react, too.  And maybe, just maybe, if we all learn (and remember) to watch out for others instead of just ourselves, we can help make the world a better place.So let's make courtesy common again!