The Gentleman; Endangered, But Not Gone

Any woman living in the 21st century can tell you that running into a old time gentleman these days is not the most common thing in the world. In today's society we often times get too caught up in our own little worlds to notice much of what anyone around us is saying or feeling. We often forget our manners in the rush of the our days, and most of us have grown not to expect anyone to use them really. But today, I ran into a young man that has not forgotten what it means to be a gentleman.

My husband and I went to get his hair cut today, and the seating situation was less than plentiful. I often times have a difficult time sitting by strangers due to social anxiety, and though there were two chairs available, they were both between strangers and not near each other. My husband encouraged me to take a seat, but I sheepishly stated that it would be to hard not to sit with him, so I would just stand beside him and wait. Without saying a word, a young man picked up his stuff and moved to another chair, leaving two chairs for me and my husband.

It may not seem like much if you are not paying attention, and I doubt that Cesar really thought what he was doing was all that important, but little things like this can and do make a big difference to people like me. Having the car door opened when you get in or out of a car; having someone respect you enough to give up their seat; these things MATTER to us ladies, whether we are "tough" or not. I think sometimes we just get caught up in having to do everything ourselves, that we don't really encourage the men in our lives to be gentleman when they offer. We tell them "I've got it" so much that they stop asking at some point.

But the endangered art of being a gentleman is not lost in our men, as I was able to see in Cesar today. My husband is another proof of this fact. For many years I told him "I've got it" and he did stop asking. This last year, we reached a stalemate with each other and in a moment of anger I exclaimed "you never treat me like a lady anymore. You don't open doors, you don't hold my hand and it sucks." His face looked like a brick just hit him in the head. When he finally spoke he said in a very befuddled tone, "you always told me that "you had it" when I tried to open doors or carry things, so I guess after a while I just started acting like you did. If you want me to be a gentleman, you have to say thank you when I offer my hand of service, not "I've got it". Humbled. Point Chaz.

Gentleman are still among us ladies. And I am so grateful for the opportunity to see this in action today with Cesar. So remember to allow them to do what they do best, and be aware that though they are not as common as days of old, they are still around, and still trying to do their dues. Lets give them a verbal thanks, a hug if applicable, and make sure they know that we appreciate them. Thanks Gents!

Artfully Yours,

Jetta Marie