Common Courtesy

Courtesy:  the showing of politeness in one's attitude and behavior toward others:

"he had been treated with a degree of courtesy not far short of deference"

synonyms:
politeness · courteousness · good manners · civility · respect ·
respectfulness · chivalry · gallantry · graciousness · consideration · thought · thoughtfulness · cordiality · urbanity · courtliness

I live in the south . . .and in the south (maybe elsewhere, too but all I know is the south), we still teach our children manners.  We teach them to say "yes ma'am" and "no sir" (and I've heard that in some places, yes ma'am, etc. is considered to be smart a**). We try to teach them when several people are entering the elevator, it is ok to step back and say "after you."  Heck, in the south, we still write thank you notes on actual paper!  My most recent thank you note purchase is below - fun colors!! At one time, I even had engraved thank you cards with my name on them (gift, I'm sure!).

There is something else we do in the south.  We pull over for a funeral procession (if I've never told you the story of Mark and George . . .in college . . .driving a green impala station wagon with a canoe tied on top . . . passing each slow car on their way back to auburn. . .with some major horn honking, I believe . . . until they were the car behind the hearse . . .oops, sorry I told you the story!!) . . .which brings me to today's post.  That sentence makes no sense with all that parenthetical material - the funeral procession is what I want to talk about today.

On Friday and Saturday - both days! - there was a funeral procession on the interstate.  What the heck are you supposed to do?  The funeral procession, led by two policemen on motorcycles, was in the fast lane on both Friday and Saturday . . .and I looked - two different funeral homes!!  So what are you supposed to do?  I actually whispered a prayer for those riding in the cars behind the hearse and I moved over to the right lane because otherwise I would have been driving neck to neck with the hearse.

I just goggled "proper etiquette for funeral processions" (really, I just did!) and there are tons of articles so evidently folks other than southerners do this!!  Here are just three rules I read:
1. Don't honk at a car in a funeral procession (see paragraph above - oops for Mark and George)
2. Don't cut into a funeral procession (also, see paragraph above - ditto)
3. Don't pass a funeral procession on the right hand side UNLESS the funeral procession is in the far left lane - check!  I was right!!

Were you taught courtesy and manners by your parents?  Is it becoming an outdated thing?  Do folks still pull over to the side of the road for a funeral procession where you live?  I wish I knew people all over the country because I would love to hear thoughts about yes ma'am and no sir, etc.

Just a few middle-aged musings on this Sunday afternoon!