Thursday, July 07, 2005
Open Door
While I was out doing some errands today, I noticed something about what people do when going in and out of doors. Some people hold the door for the person following them into or out of the building, some hold it even if the person is quite a distance behind them. Others don't hold the door, no matter what, not even if you are one step behind them.
I went to the bank and held the door for the woman behind me. She said, "thank you" twice because there were two doors. Then I went to the store and as I walked up to the front of the building, a man didn't hold the door for an elderly woman and she made a less than happy face and proceeded to open the door herself. When I got to the door a woman held it for me, twice. I thanked the woman, twice.
I think that sometimes people expect the door to be held for them though. Older folks often expect that the door will be held for them (which I think that it should be most of the time) and act surprised when it isn't. People who are perfectly capable of opening the door for themselves are also sometimes miffed if it isn't held for them. I hope that they would be the people who always hold the door if the opportunity arose, otherwise, they don't really have the right to get mad if it isn't held for them, in my opinion.
Is it that some the people who expect the door to be held for them, also think that they are better than everyone else? I'll give the expectation to the older folks who really are helped when the door is held for them. That is the respect they deserve, or so my parents taught me.
Admittedly, I don't hold the door if the person behind me is a long way back there, but when it is appropriate, I hold the door. I was raised that way I guess. It makes me happy to do that for people, and I am always in a better mood after someone else does it for me. So, if you find yourself out doing whatever it is you do out there, hold the door for someone, and see if it brightens your day a little, because it will probably brighten theirs. ¶ 5:43 PM
I went to the bank and held the door for the woman behind me. She said, "thank you" twice because there were two doors. Then I went to the store and as I walked up to the front of the building, a man didn't hold the door for an elderly woman and she made a less than happy face and proceeded to open the door herself. When I got to the door a woman held it for me, twice. I thanked the woman, twice.
I think that sometimes people expect the door to be held for them though. Older folks often expect that the door will be held for them (which I think that it should be most of the time) and act surprised when it isn't. People who are perfectly capable of opening the door for themselves are also sometimes miffed if it isn't held for them. I hope that they would be the people who always hold the door if the opportunity arose, otherwise, they don't really have the right to get mad if it isn't held for them, in my opinion.
Is it that some the people who expect the door to be held for them, also think that they are better than everyone else? I'll give the expectation to the older folks who really are helped when the door is held for them. That is the respect they deserve, or so my parents taught me.
Admittedly, I don't hold the door if the person behind me is a long way back there, but when it is appropriate, I hold the door. I was raised that way I guess. It makes me happy to do that for people, and I am always in a better mood after someone else does it for me. So, if you find yourself out doing whatever it is you do out there, hold the door for someone, and see if it brightens your day a little, because it will probably brighten theirs. ¶ 5:43 PM
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I try to hold the door for other folks as often as possible. I think some people are just completely oblivious to the presence of other people, so it doesn't even occur to them to hold a door open for someone else.
I always find it a little funny when two people are both trying to be polite by simultaneously holding doors open for one another...
I always find it a little funny when two people are both trying to be polite by simultaneously holding doors open for one another...
I think about this subject kind of a lot, actually. When I approach a door at the same time as someone else, I am almost always aware of our respective positions and their consequences. Perhaps that's weird. I do try to open doors for people, exspecially if they are older or carrying things--but sometimes it backfires and they see me hurrying up to open the door and assume I am hurrying up so that i can enjoy the fruits of *their* door-opening-magnanimity, and then it's awkwardness all around.
Thanks Charlie!
Please don't think that I am some sort of door-has-to-be-held-open-for-me-or-I-am-mad kind of person. It doesn't bother me one bit if someone doesn't hold it for me(unless my favorite husband lets it hit me after he goes through). I am more bothered when I see other people when they rudely ignore the person right behind them or they don't do that simple thing to help out an obviously less able person(elderly, disabled, injured, has their hands full, etc.).
Please don't think that I am some sort of door-has-to-be-held-open-for-me-or-I-am-mad kind of person. It doesn't bother me one bit if someone doesn't hold it for me(unless my favorite husband lets it hit me after he goes through). I am more bothered when I see other people when they rudely ignore the person right behind them or they don't do that simple thing to help out an obviously less able person(elderly, disabled, injured, has their hands full, etc.).
I try to hold doors open for whomever is behind me, for about 5 seconds. If they aren't going to get there by then, then it gets awkward...
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