Manners

It is nice to be back home where people are generally polite.  After arriving in Atlanta last week, we had not even made it out of the parking deck before hearing a horn blare.  My father commented on the unnecessary impatience and rudeness of the driver.  I confess to being startled and found myself jolted back to a stateside mentality.

On St. Croix, horns beep all the time.  We beep our horns to grant the driver on a sidestreet permission to pull out.  We beep our horns as a thank you for letting us pull out.  We beep our horns to grab the attention of someone at whom we wish to wave or greet.  We beep our horns because it 's Tuesday.  Hearing the blare of a horn is a cheerful sound on St. Croix.

I also missed the ritual of greeting someone.  You never start a conversation with someone on island without first saying, "good morning", "good afternoon", or "good night" and having the other person repeat it back.  It is a small courtesy that carries great weight.  There is nothing more rude than to encounter someone who simply launches into a conversation - or worse a demand - without first offering the proper greeting.  Walking into a store in Columbus and saying "good morning" without getting it returned left me depressed.

Priorities are different on island.  Time is not more precious than courtesy.  True, curmudgeons exist everywhere, but I enjoy living in a culture that prizes manners.