Thanks for Being (Dis)Courteous!

Anyone who knows me fairly well (or, at least, anyone who has added me on Facebook) knows that I have a soft spot for movies. When me and my sister were living together (July 2011 to November 2012) we frequented the cinema no more than 20 times. We know its absurd, but we love it. (And we looove some freshly popped, buttery popcorn.) 

Aside from the movie theaters though, I've also developed a sort of addiction to Redbox. Who honestly hasn't been sucked into renting a movie through them? At $1.20 per night, it's a ridiculously cheap option, especially when compared ALONE to the price of movie tickets. 

My problem though? I never return them the next day! 

I don't know why, honestly; it's not a particularly hard thing to do. I just... Forget.

And so we segue into my story: 

Here I was, with 3 DVDs being rented out more than 2 days ago, driving to the nearest Redbox kiosk to return them.  When I arrive there is a mother and son in front of the machine. Not wanting to crowd the sidewalk -- we were outside a CVS -- I turned off my car and waited for them to finish. Let me repeat that: waited for them to finish. 

Approximately 12.75 seconds later, a larger man, clutching 3 DVDs in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other, comes around the corner and stands behind them. 

From my car, with the driver side window down, I made several observations about this particular individual. 

A.) He was standing very close to this woman and child. 

Now he wasn't grinding up on them or checking their heads for lice, mind you. But this presumable stranger was definitely within touching distance and invading their personal space. 

B.) He was growing visibly pissed off with every passing second. 

I'm talking toe-tapping, exasperated sighs, pacing, excessive wristwatch checking and tongue clicking!

C.) He kept blowing his smoke in their direction, like by doing so  they would leave quicker. 

Who does that?!

When the mother/son duo leave, he angrily deposits his videos and storms off in a huff. 

I checked my dashboard clock: No more than 3 minutes had gone by since he first got in line. 

Now, dear reader, I must ask you: Was that not possibly the most discourteous thing imaginable? 

The world is full of rude individuals. Everyday you see fewer people holding doors open or tipping waiters and help staff. How often do you hear strangers exchange hellos or good-mornings anymore? Some individuals get so caught up in themselves that they forget that there's 7 billion other humans on this planet and each of them deserve the same universal respect and courtesy. 

Be kind and considerate to each other. 

And maybe, just maybe, we'll make the world a better place. One act at a time. 

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