Dear Reader Column 05-30-08

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Every time I take my one-and-a-half year old grandson Paul for a walk I notice that people treat me differently. Chivalry is alive and well. Instantly when they see Paul and me together, a smile comes over their face and we get special treatment. Drivers stay farther away, giving us a little more time to cross the street and people walking on the sidewalk step off to the side and wait on the grass--kind of like throwing their jacket down over the puddle so we can safely cross.

I admit even I feel differently when I'm walking with Paul. Maybe part of it is experiencing how we were meant to be. When we were starting out--just small babes--we were cute, trusting, smiling, had good intentions and a love for life. Simply get up every day and be. And then somewhere along the journey we all change. Some of us stay on the good intentions path and others go down a path that's totally unexplainable, sometimes unforgiving.

But today when I was walking with Paul none of that mattered. It was just a delightful, no pressure afternoon and I had permission to let go of everything else on my mind, because I was taking my grandson for a walk.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

P.S. ENTER this year's Write a Dear Reader contest! Fill in for Suzanne while she's on vacation. Your column will be published, you'll win 50 books (most signed), and a book bag from Vanguard Press. It's a lot of fun! Prizes, guidelines and deadline, go to: http://tinyurl.com/55n995

READ THE CLASSICS: Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos De Laclos and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/575jjp

Comments

[Doris]

Dogs and children - seems everyone responds with a smile and at least a hello when we are accompanied by one - (unless, of course, it's a crying child or an intimidating dog) -