Today’s post was inspired by a comment I was annoyed by on a community website today: “A man wants to rush up from behind and jump in front of you to open the door when your fingers are millimeters away from the handle ‘to be a gentleman’? He gets to whether you want it or not. And when you call them out on it you’re labeled as a crazy bitch.”
This particular site can be the social media version of Lisa Simpson at times (i.e. woker than thou, humorless), so there was no way I was going to tell this crazy bitch to calm down and accept a kindness even if it came from some wannabe chevalier expecting a big pat on the back. At least not there.
ETIQUETTE: If you are physically able to do so, hold the door open for others when you are the first to approach a door. This is a gender-neutral rule. If the door pushes open, go through first. If the door pulls open, let others enter first as you are holding it.
Don’t be weird about it, though. Don’t hold the door open for a person if they are so far away that they will feel compelled to hurry up in order to not make you wait. Give extra consideration for those burdened with children, packages or mobility issues.
If you are the recipient of a held-open door, thank the person holding the door. If a stranger has unwittingly held the door open for what is turning into a steady stream of people, be good and take over for them.
SUPERSTITION: Don’t leave doors open when leaving the house, the exception being the door of a bride’s home while she is at the church. Doors should be opened if a woman is giving birth in the home, in order to give the baby easy passage into the world. Doors should also be opened in the house of a dying person to give them easy passage into the next world. A church doorknob rattling at night portends an imminent death.