n-sid-er-it]-adjective showing kindly awareness or regard for another's feelings, circumstances, etc.:
I cannot change people, but as a woman I reserve the right to try. I can't help myself. However, I'm not naive. I know that attempting to be a strong influence or even using forceful persuasion (threats) will not cause another person to behave as though other people matter. To some, no on else matters.
I was raised in the South and I thank God for it. Manners are sacred and southerners are experts at politely handling .... Aside from common courtesies like polite speech, holding doors, and decent table manners, I think manners extend beyond what we were taught in cotillion.....
...and they extend beyond common courtesy and into the very fabric of our friendships. I try very hard to be considerate. I think it is especially important with those whom we are most comfortable. Over the past year I've learned a great deal about friendship and I think at the top of the list would be consideration and respect, which aren't exactly mutually exclusive. As much as I want to, I'm not going to gripe and complain about how certain friends and acquaintances have infuriated me with their inconsideration.
[Because I'm REALLY over the flakiness and I'm not tolerating it anymore.]
Instead, I'm going to turn this into a sort of self-improvement learning experience.. because like it or not, we've all been a flake at one time or another, and I refuse to be the chick people expect to show up late or not at all.
- I pledge to never back out of plans, no matter how much I'd rather bail.
- I pledge to not be late when meeting with friends, and to call with a damn good excuse if I am.
- I pledge to return calls and answer texts & emails in a timely manner.
- I pledge to be completely honest with my friends, even if the truth is unpleasant and I dread sharing it.
- I pledge to have empathy for friends dealing with life's curveballs and be forgiving if they aren't considerate toward me.
- I pledge to be completely honest and NEVER agree to plans I have no intention of keeping.
- I pledge to NEVER back out of certain plans because some more appealing ones come along.
I think we can all agree the absolute worst is when a friend ditches us for their new squeeze. It's so annoying! Can't they see how
