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Friday, September 4, 2009

Make Me Swoon

Last week, while waiting in the dentist's office, I was flipping through a popular magazine and came across an article called "15 Ways to Charm a Southern Girl".These were 'tips' for guys hoping to catch a date. It was encouraging to find the women still do appreciate and embrace real 'gentlemen'. Apparently, all these women live in the South.

The first couple tips were your standard Gentleman 101 basics:

1.) Stand up for a lady (this doesn't always involve chairs)
2.) Hold doors open
3.) Take your hat off inside
4.) Stand when we come back to the table

And the rest, which are all nice and good, were I guess important to a Southern girl:

5.) Wear boots
6.) Kill bugs
7.) Fix or build things
8.) Grill stuff

A few weeks ago I was in a wedding. The day before the ceremony, a few bridesmaids and I were at the church decorating and setting up. I remember I was taking a few boxes out to the car and this guy appeared (I think he worked at the church) and he held the door open for me and said, "There you go, ma'am." I know I looked at him strangely. I don't think I've ever been called 'ma'am' before by someone who didn't look a day older than myself.

Being a gentleman is a lost art. While you don't have to wear boots while grilling me a steak on the back porch you built, I definitely sit up and pay attention when to you when you call me 'ma'am' or stand up when I enter the room. It makes me feel, well, like a lady.
And God knows we need that defining value in this day and age.

2 comments:

  1. I'll be a sweet friend and speak up. Thanks for posting this, its so true.

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  2. Apart from the magazine thing,
    being a gentleman is something I strive to do daily.
    Nice seein' you at M&J's wedding!
    Say hallo to the boys for me!
    ~Johann

    ReplyDelete