Happy Monday, Loves!
What. A. Weekend.
Our sweet Addison had her very first cheer competition of the year this weekend, on Craig’s 36th birthday, and they rocked the mat! We got to spend the weekend at one of our favorite hotels in Tampa with some of our very favorite friends celebrating all weekend with the big kids, and we got to come home yesterday to our sweet babies, and we got to end the day celebrating the birth of our sweet friends’ new little boy with our group of people.
If that’s not the sweetest weekend, I don’t know what is.
However, there is something that’s been on my mind, and I thought I’d like to address that this week.
You guys, I’m not perfect.
I mean, I knew this, but it turns out that I’m not even remotely close. Okay, so I knew that, too (let’s not tell my husband…it’ll crush him to know the truth). So, I noticed something about myself, and I’d like to address that and then address a few behaviors of my own I’d like to change in the coming year. Some new goals, if you will.
So, here’s how it happened. Two weekends ago, I was in Publix. Craig and I were having an at-home date night, and he ordered a couple of filets, and I ran to grab those and a bottle of our favorite wine. While walking through the bakery, a blonde woman walked right by me and said, “Hi, Tiffany! How are you?” and I think I spent like 3 seconds looking at her with a totally confused look on my face (if I got Botox, Craig, no one would know I was confused when I look at them….just saying) before I remembered my manners and said, “Hi! I’m well, how are you?” with a smile.
Here’s the problem – she’s not even remotely familiar to me. I don’t think I could pick her out of a lineup if you gave me one. I have no idea who she is, why I know her, or why she knows me and I don’t know her. She may look vaguely familiar, but I cannot for the life of me place her. And I certainly don’t know her name.
And then it happened again this weekend. Someone came up to me to speak to me, and while I recognize them and know I know them, I cannot think of their name. At all. Like, not even a little.
And I feel terrible about that. I felt thoughtless, and uncaring, and rude. And that is not my personality. And then it happened again. I was introduced to someone, and then five minutes later had no actual idea what their name was. I was JUST STANDING THERE LISTENING TO IT. And I couldn’t remember. And then I felt even more disgusting.
So, new goal for the year – remember people’s names. Make the effort to look them dead in the eye, smile, and say hello while using their name – out loud. I’m too damn old to be this thoughtless and impolite.
And on that note, there are few other things I’d like to change throughout the year, too. Little things, but things that are more polite and less thoughtless.
- Walk away when people are speaking negatively about others
- Do not engage in gossip, even when it’s not overly hurtful
- Smile at strangers more
- Be more timely
- Offer more compliments
- Speak positively
- Listen more actively
- Eat more bacon (I don’t think I have enough bacon, and it does sound like a lovely way to live my best life)
I don’t want to be the person who can’t remember people’s names. I don’t want to come across as rude or impolite or as someone who is so self-important I cannot be bothered to remember your name five seconds after we are introduced. It’s not cute, and I’m not down for it.
So, what are some of the other little goals you have for the year?
Tiffany Raiford 