Hello all,
 
I just returned from a two week trip to England and had a funny I wanted
to share, and my observations of some differences.
 
My mother and I had planned this trip twice before only to have to cancel
due to her health.  Finally we were able to go, (because I locked her
the basement for a month to be sure nothing happened this time----that's
a JOKE!).
 
We arrived in Gatwick, hopped the Express to Victoria Station then
attempted to find the entrance to 'the tube', London's underground subway
system.  We couldn't find it amongst the hustle and bustle but did see
two Bobbys (Bobbies?) and decided to ask them.  These guys had a couple
of gorgeous Springer Spaniels with them.  While we explained to them what
we wanted and where we were going, one of these dogs got a whiff of my
large Samsonite.  This bag had been sitting in my computer room for at
least a month in preparation for my trip, and my fuzzies had thoroughly
explored it.
 
Now here I was, bleary eyed with exhaustion, my little gray haired mother
whose 5 foot nothing next to me, trying to listen to the directions to
the tube and I have a police dog going absolutely ballistic on my bag.
The Bobby was trying to control the dog who's refusing to be controlled
and wants to sniff every inch of my bag.  It became impossible to ignore
him any longer and I was thinking 'oh God, he thinks I'm smuggling
something!  Please dog, go away before this cop wants to explore my bag
and bring my undies out for all of London to see'!  It was then that mom
spoke up 'Leslie, that dog smells your ferrets'!  Bless her little cotton
picking heart!  The Bobby turns to me, 'you have ferrets eh'?  'Oh yes,
fourteen of them, they've been climbing through my bag for a month now'.
'My sister has five of them' says he, then a wink and 'off with you
then, have a pleasant visit'.  And off we went towards the tube, but
not without that damned dog who I don't think right now is so gorgeous,
straining on his leash to get once last snuffle at my bag.
 
While in England I met people from all walks of life, all economic and
education levels, and not one of them was ever impolite.  They were kind
and considerate, going above and beyond to be helpful.  This treatment
wasn't reserved for the Americans, they treat each other this way as
well.  I was amazed at the civility.  I was raised with manners, always
say please and thank you and here I was in a land where people act this
way each day.  If an argument was to be had, they would agree to disagree
and leave it at that.  No hard feelings.
 
Before I left there was a war going on here about a post of a pink
thong and a son.  When I returned, there was another war going on about
a shelter.  I deleted two weeks worth of the FML because it was so
depressing to see people treat each other this way.  Do any of you
remember how we all treated each other after the 9/11 attacks?  We were
kind and thoughtful, considerate of each other and others' feelings.
Have we become so uncivilized that the only opinion that matters is our
own?  One need only to read a week or two of the FML to see the epitome
of the 'ugly American'.
 
Please, lets think before we speak, consider others before we jump on our
soap boxes.  Agree to disagree and if we can't do that, keep it private
off the list.  There's too much hate and discontent in the world now to
have a pissing contest over differences of opinion.
 
Cheers,
Leslie
[Posted in FML issue 5221]