Why Is Common Courtesy Dead?

Hey all,

As you read this, I'm hopefully walking on a beach in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I've been looking forward to this city and plan to spend as much time on the beach as possible.  And while I have a pool in the hotel where we're staying, I would rather do my swimming in the ocean.  

I'm hoping there will be less people out where I'll be doing my laps.  I have to say I'm VERY tired of sharing my pool with rude, inconsiderate brats.

And those are the adults!

Seriously, rant coming.   Why is it so hard to be polite when you get into a public pool?  Do all your brain cells leak out your ears as soon as you hit the water?  I've swam in dozens of pools over the last few years and unfortunately they all have one thing in common.  Rude, clueless people.

I always go early to miss the crowd, but I know my quiet time of exercise is over when I see someone come in.  Because for some reason, they don't see me.  Or maybe they just don't give a damn.  They are on vacation, so no one exists but them.

Case in point.  I was in the pool the other day when this man came in with his two younger teenage kids.  I'd been swimming about ten minutes by that point.  They jumped in the pool, grabbed a beach ball and started playing catch.  No big deal until the ball kept hitting me in the head.  Finally, I smacked it over to them and explained I was doing laps.  They could have three quarters of the pool, I just wanted this small strip.

They all looked at me (dad included) like I'd kicked their puppy.  Seriously.  What happened to sharing?  To being polite?  It wasn't like I was ordering them to stay tucked in a corner.  Not sure if I'd made them understand my position, I just sighed and went back to swimming.

About ten minutes and several oops balls later, they'd tired of that game.  I was heading toward the deep end when I saw the dad standing at the side of the pool.  Just (and I swear this is no lie) as I got about three feet away, he jumped in.  A freaking cannonball, right in my face.

I about lost it.  I'll deal with the oops balls.  I'll keep my head about the waves generated by your playing around.  I'll even try and be politely firm as I remind you to get out of my way for the umpteenth time.  But this?

No way.  Uh, uh.

I stopped, and when he came up for air--all grins, and shucks, folks, look what I just did--I didn't say a word.  I just gave him THE LOOK.

You know the one.  The look a woman can give that every man on the planet recognizes.  The one that makes a man's balls shrivel up into his throat.  It's sorta like the mama glare, but the grown up version, that can strike terror into a male's heart.

The wife glare.

And it worked.  He crumbled right in front of me.  Apologized profusely and from that moment on he was a perfect pool companion.  When his kids strayed to my side of the pool, he was all over them like a heat rash.

Finally.  But why did I have to get in his face for him to do the right thing? I couldn't help but think it's no wonder the kids are so rude when the adults give them that sort of example.

So my question for you all is, why is common courtesy dead?  I don't expect for those I share a pool with to stand quiet in a corner, but I do expect them to have the decency to let me do my thing while they do theirs.  Look up the word SHARE in the dictionary, all you pool piranhas.  Being polite isn't rocket science.

It's just the right thing to do.

Until next time!

Hugs,

CJ England

Follow Your Dreams

http://cjengland.com/warrior/morethanawarrior.htm

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