This is a random list of how I go through life. Some are lessons from my mom, some are just common sense and common courtesy, both of which seem to be lost in 2019. I think if we irritated each other a bit less, and were a bit more thoughtful, we could create a society we’d all be proud of, once again. Feel free to add, or share, or disagree! Would love your feedback on https://instagram.com/solohour.

• If you stay at someone’s house, make the bed

• If you stay multiple nights, strip the sheets

• If someone makes you dinner, eat it and be grateful

• If someone opens the door for you, thank them

• Hold the elevator if you see people walking towards it

• Stay to the right side of the escalator so people can get by you

• Better yet, WALK on the escalator. Try a little harder at life.

• Keep your head up, not in your phone, while you’re crossing the street

• When 3 lanes become 2, merge with every other car…don’t speed up so you go “first”

• When you’re making a left turn, get out into the intersection, don’t hold up traffic

• If you get in a minor fender bender, move your car off the road onto the shoulder. Don’t park in the middle of the street if your car moves.

• If you invite someone to lunch or dinner, pick up the tab

• If you invite a friend or a date to a party, introduce them to everyone

• If you host a party, welcome all of your guests, and make sure they have a drink in their hand right away

• If you’re hiking or walking in nature, don’t blast music with your phone. That’s why they invented headphones.

• Buy a random stranger a cup of coffee at Starbucks

• Give your leftovers to homeless people

• If you’re walking on the sidewalk with your date (and you’re a man) put yourself between your date and potential harms way: You walk closer to the street, and put yourself between her and any shady looking characters.

• If you’ve gone on a couple dates with someone, but aren’t interested, tell them like a real man/woman. Don’t just disappear.

• If you dirty dishes at a friends house, clean them

• If you empty the ice tray, fill it

• If you finish the milk, or something in the fridge, replace it

• If a friend “lets you crash” at their house for an extended period of time, keep the house spic & span for them

• Listen to The Solopreneur Hour Podcast

• If you borrow a friends car, fill it with gas

• If you snore, and are sharing a hotel room, bring earplugs for your roommates

• Get off your phone when you’re checking out at the grocery store, or anywhere else. And take the headphones out of your ears. It’s incredibly rude.

• Stop bringing your dog into restaurants and coffee shops. Somehow, we managed to go hundreds of years without this trend. Wrap fido’s leash around a tree or a post out front. They’ll be fine.

• Gentleman, open the door for your date, or your girlfriend, or your wife. Car AND Building.

• Buy random flowers for your love

• Don’t check your phone while on a date

• Don’t bury your head in your phone while you’re out with people

• When parallel parking on a busy street, check your side view mirror for bicyclists and pedestrians before you open the door.

• Use the “yield” and on-ramps as acceleration zones…don’t merge onto a highway at 40 mph

• Get out of the left lane unless you’re passing

• If you’re driving in the mountains and there are a line of cars behind you, pull over and let them pass.

• if you’re at a party and don’t know the host, make a point to seek them out, introduce yourself, and thank them.

ADVERTISER