The Lost Art of Etiquette

What happened? How did we get to the place we are in today where everyone is out for themselves and no one cares about the person beside them?

As time goes on, it seems we are forgetting the true sense of human decency. I'm not talking about pulling out a chair for a lady, or addressing people by "Mister" or "Miss" out of respect. No, this would be asking too much as I can't even walk down the street without practically pushing my way back onto the sidewalk because people are too ignorant to share. I tend to call these people "Sidewalk Hogs" - the type that walk shoulder to shoulder with friends spanning the whole sidewalk so that no one can get by either from behind or in front. It reeks of arrogance and I can't handle it.

Yesterday I was waiting to let exiting passengers off the subway train before I boarded. A "lady" (and I use the term loosely), pushes her way past me and boards the train before the exiting passengers have left the train. I shook my head in disgust.

I won't get into the issue of cell phones in movie theatres because I've touched on that in a previous blog. Not to mention, again, it happened to me last week and again, I shook my head in disgust.

We all need to live together on this planet, and we all need to inhabit a certain space. Is there no way to play nice and be somewhat kind with one another? I challenge each of you to open a door for someone you don't know, or scooch over on the sidewalk and let someone by. It will definitely bring a smile to your face!

A Festival or Two...

I decided to take advantage of the great weather yesterday and head down to the Buskerfest that was happening in Toronto. St. Lawrence Market was a buzz with spectators and many different street performers. From magicians to trapeze artists, talents were in full force.

After snapping a few photos, I headed north to the Eaton Centre, only to find another festival going on - Live Green Toronto. Part of Yonge street was closed for the event showcasing many different vendors and performers going "green". One stage even had the audience participate on stationary bikes to generate the power required for the musical instruments used in the performance.

Below are some pictures I took at Buskerfest and Live Green Toronto. Enjoy!

Everywhere, There's Signs!

I decided to walk to High Park today and take advantage of the great weather. With the iPod cranking out the tunes, a novel in hand and a few snacks in a bag, I was ready to spend a relaxing day reading and eating. The day was gorgeous and the walk was pleasant.

While walking to the park, I came upon two people carrying on a conversation through sign language. The language of signing has always fascinated me. So physical, so expressive and yet one is able to say many things without a "spoken" word. I remember years back when I started learning sign language; each inflection meaning something different. Part of the teachings involved "mouthing" the words while signing your words. Yes, even though your voice is not required, you're taught to still mouth the words as one sign can represent several different words - it's the inflection or emotion behind the sign that determines the meaning.

It is this, that I find so interesting with sign language. Each person using sign language seems to be wholly and completely free with the "language". The passion and dedication to each conversation is exciting. Amazingly, this lead to why I enjoyed my dancing for 10 years. Much like people signing, I was passionate about the dance and I was completely free with each song I performed. I loved the feeling of being on stage and performing for an audience (even if, momentarily, I was nervous and scared).

Two people signing, lead me to smile today! It was a gorgeous day!