All I Did was Hold a Door
October 25th, 2007 at 12:27 pm by Mark
Tags: anachronisms, asshats, happy, humor, nostalgia, sarcasm, sociology
There’s something that’s bothered me for a long, long time, and it’s changed my behavior a little.
If I walk up to a door to open it, I glance around to see if anyone else is close. If they are, I hold it open for them. It’s a simple thing, that most people don’t do at all any more.
Some people are semi-thankful, but can’t really be bothered to do much more than nod or half-grunt a, “Thanks,” before continuing to walk blindly around not paying attention to anyone else around them.
Occasionally, you get one of the uber-Feminists who will rip you a new butt for holding her door open. She’s perfectly capable of doing it herself, and what a chauvanistic piece of — *BONK!* — as the door hits her in the face, because she’s too busy complaining to note that you let it go and walked away… at which point, you’re demoted to misogynist, and… *rolls eyes*
I always wonder how those types react when they see me hold the door for the guy at the next door…
Unfortunately, most people these days are asshats and don’t care that I hold the door for them, at all. Why, no! I should be privileged for having held their door! I’m not antisocial (I’m really not), but stuff like that is exactly why I think the vast majority of people should get bent.
Needless to say, it is due to the above three classes of people that I don’t stop, hold the door, and wait for people to go through ahead of me. Bloody hell, half of the population are so brash and rude that they will jump right on through while I’m holding open for my lady, who I really wanted to walk in with…
Thus, I’m very good about holding it behind me. And, if I accidentally drop it as someone’s coming, I even go so far as to apologize to them.
Weird, eh?
But today, as I walked up to the door to a store, I noticed an elderly woman with a very young teenager approaching. Ignoring my usual instincts, I stopped, grabbed the door, held it open, and said, “After you!” as I ushered them inside.
The two looked me right in the eyes, and with large, genuine smiles, said, “Oh, thank you!” in unison.
Genuine thanks?! That’s so rare! I couldn’t help but say something, and when I opened my mouth, “My pleasure!” came tumbling out.
Again, more smiles. As they walked on into the store arm-in-arm, they leaned and whispered to one another, patted the others’ arms as they went.
Simply amazing.
Nostalgic, even, remember how people used to act when you did some random act of kindness…?
