bring back the kind

 

I broke down and asked him out of desperation. "Sir, may I please go in front of you for the bathroom?" I pleaded.  I had just drank a pot of tea and then hopped in the car for a long drive. Bad idea. The gas station bathroom had a line to boot. So, I told the man waiting in front of me that I would pay him 5 bucks if he would let me go first. He murmured somewhat begrudgingly that I could go ahead of him. At first, I was just thankful that he agreed so I wouldn't embarrass myself further but then I began to think about the fact that not long ago, ladies would never be expected to wait behind a gentleman. Call me old-fashioned, but I wish those days were still around. The training starts early. It's natural for me to teach my boys that ladies go first, that they should always hold the door for another, and that their role as a gentleman is to be a servant leader. I can't help but think that they may be a rare breed one day but I hope I'm wrong. What really is the point of all this anyway? For me, it's about simply bringing the kind back. I don't like living in a world where every man is out for himself-it feels like sandpaper on my skin most of the time. There is a lack of general goodwill that permeates our society, a vacuum for kindness. It's my desire that my sons, my knights, understand that chivalry is not an outdated notion but simply a better way to live for all of us. The external practice of going out of your way for others in little things translates into character over time. That's why the daily encouragement to be gracious and hospitable to others matters so much to me. I want my boys to look a lady in the eye and be gallant-to be strong by being kind.

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