People

The last two days have been filled with good audits and fantastic managers. Yesterday I was in Washington, PA and the manager there was a great guy filled with those life stories that just make you realize the 50s, 60s and 70s were a totally different time in our culture. The wealth of life experiences, both good and bad, that managers such as R. bring to the table cannot be disputed. And the stories about people they met, others that were on the right and wrong side of the law and the antics that they got up to in the 70s make the day fly by.

Individuals such as the manager today in Altoona, PA give full credit back to their staff for the condition of the motel and the paperwork but what also needs to be said is that without good direction and support from the manager, the staff members would not perform to the high standards which they consistently hold in place. I must admit that on days such as yesterday and today I could easily spend all day with these managers. They are so interesting and entertaining. They also have manners.

You ever wonder what happened to the guys who held the door for a lady, or held a chair for her? Well I can tell you. They grew up in the 50's and 60's and now are the generation on the brink of retirement but they have not lost that courtesy which touches an individual right at her heart. They didn't let the extreme right wing woment lib movement take away the basic manners which they learned as children. Someone once told me that women really shot themselves in the foot when it came to the women's lib movement and I have to admit to a certain extent that they were right. We sometimes become so concerned with proving that we can do anything a guy can and better while also juggling meals, family, home and exercise that we forget that just because someone offers to pay for dinner, to open a car door or a door to an establishment its not an attack upon womanhood or an asperation that we aren't making it in the real world but rather that it could be a little thing called manners and courtesy. The friend I mentioned earlier had a horrible experience not too long ago where he politely held the door to a convenience store open for a woman who was walking behind him. Rather than say thanks she stopped before she got to the door and said that she could get the door herself and that she didn't need a man to get it for her. My friend was justifiably upset by this reaction and when he told it to me I was also shocked. Maybe I'm really old fashioned but personnally I like it when someone gets the door for me, or offers to help with my luggage as I stow it in the overhead bins (that could also be because I'm really short)and yes I do expect the guy to pay for dinner if he asks me out. But honestly is it any wonder guys are confused with mixed signals like that by different members of the female population? But I tend to think that those small courtesies have fallen by the wayside because I cannot tell you the last time when I was at a restaurant and I saw a guy hold the chair for his date or even the car door when they left. Different time different people, manners vs lack thereof. Now I'm not against womens lib....far from it but I do believe that there needs to be balance as in all aspects of life. And really, is it so hard to be polite?

So thats my rant on people, manners and the loss of a good generation of men to the pleasures of the retirement golf course and the state of Fl.