back from falling off the edge of the earth
I PROMISE I am making a concerted effort to crawl out from underneath my rock.
Oh! And I read this in the new Emily Post etiquette anthology and it made me happy:
"Four Things Etiquette Is Not:
A set of rigid rules. Manners change witht the times (something Emily Post emphasized from the beginning) and today are more flexible than ever before. Etiquette isn't a set of 'prescriptions for properness' but merely a set of guidelines for doing things in ways that make people feel comfortable.
Something for the wealthy or well-born. Etiquette is a code of behavior for people from all walks of life, every socioeconomic group, and of all ages. No one is immune to having his life enhanced by good manners.
A thing of the past. Sometimes it seems that yesterday's standards have gone out the window, but today's more casual approach to things is something that sits on the surface. The bedrock principles of etiquette remain as solid as they ever were.
Snobbishness. Little violates the tenets of etiquette more than snobbery - which, more often than not, is just another name for pretentiousness. A person who looks down on others shows himself not as superior but small - the kind who's anything BUT respectful and considerate."
I know it's weird and probably really uncool for a 24-year-old to quote Emily Post but honestly, it just sort of gave me some really good grounding at a time when issues relating to this have come up a lot. I've been made to feel ridiculous or even snobbish just for being the way I am. I mean, if you're raised a certain way and that's all you know, is it really fare to be faulted for it? I hate being pegged as standing on airs ((heirs? not sure about that one...)).
I think I'm just a dorky person. Like I'm not cool or slick and I do worry about how I come off. It's kind of a bummer but I think I'm always gonna be a little shy and awkward. I'm afraid I'll never be one of those naturally charismatic people who draws people to them naturally and commands the room as soon as they walk into it.