Excuse me

Manners are the oil of civilization. Good manners keep people moving smoothly through every situation.

I continue inventory (slowly but surely)- I'm in the BJ's - and it seemed serendipitous to run across "Excuse Me, But I was Next : How to Handle the Top 100 Manners Dilemmas" (BJ 1853 .P69 2006) by Peggy Post.

We are about to enter the frenzied social season with RSVPs, thank you notes, social chit chat, line cutters, etc facing us. How we respond to these stressful events sets us apart from the animal kingdom.

Hopefully, we will respond thoughtfully and with grace as mature human beings.

However if our first thought is to scream loudly and fall on the floor weeping at someones unmannerly approach to life, Ms. Post has quick and pithy suggestions on an appropriate response to an unbearable situation.

Refresh your memory on how best to react to the untoward - "Excuse me...."