This evening, I gave away a few bottles of perfume that I hadn't worn in quite some time: two of which made me sneeze (Bvlgari and Hugo Boss) and the other (Lucky You), which just wasn't me. Per usual, I had posted three ads in the "free" section on Craigslist--and per usual, I was hit with quite a few responses. The woman I gave them to was excited to share them with her two teenage daughters. Sure, the math worked out neatly on that one--but mostly, I chose to give the perfumes to this woman because she was friendly and polite in her e-mail. Two qualities that will always win me over.
Now, I know I work with words for a living, so perhaps I care/read into communications a little more than your average bear, but I truly wish more people would realize that manners always count. Even when you're not face to face. Even when you're bidding on a stranger's free Craigslist stuff. Lessons learned on Sesame Street; reinforced in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.
As I stood in my driveway chatting with this kind mother of three, she asked if anyone else had responded to my ads for the perfumes. "Oh, lots of people," I said.
"What, and none of them showed up?"
"No, you're the only one I responded to. You got my attention by being so friendly and polite."
_________________________________________________________________________ © 2009 Good Karma Housekeeping. Because less really is more. (Photo credit by bjornmeansbear via Creative Commons--thank you!)
