My New Year’s Resolution

I make the same New Year’s resolution every year, and even though it’s a resolution that is impossible to keep, I think it’s a good one.

My resolution is never to be annoyed by the bad manners of others.

Even though this is impossible to do, remebering this resolution changes my reaction to bad manners. If you try to correct someone’s manners while you’re still annoyed you are very unlikely to improve the situation in any way. And if you’re driving an automobile, it can be fatal.

Instead I focus first on not being annoyed, because if you can succeed in this, you can see the humor in the situation. Then you can either laugh it off or improve it in a good-natured way.

And if I ever find myself saying, “I’ll teach you…” I take a time out. Whenever anyone says that, teaching is the farthest thing from their mind.