Courteous Travel, the Art of Sharing Space

By Helen S. Lawrence, PhD

Courteous Travel, the Art of Sharing Space provides helpful tips to promote positive behavior while sharing space within public settings. Written for both young people and adults, the book consists of five chapters and is eighty pages in length. Courteous Travel, the Art of Sharing Space discusses the importance of civility and safety as citizens walk, ride, drive, or fly within the U.S.A and is written in an easy to read conversational style with occasional injects of light humor. Courteous Travel, the Art of Sharing Space is written by Helen S. Lawrence, PhD.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Helen S. Lawrence, PhD
• Release date: Jun 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463626290

Helen S. Lawrence, PhD

Helen S. Lawrence, PhD is an author and entrepreneur whose goal is to inspire and educate the public on the importance of kindness and civility. She received her etiquette certification from the American School of Protocol. A maven for good manners, she promotes social intelligence and teaches etiquette to children and adults within the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. She enjoys collecting vintage letters, calligraphy, growing Scuppernong grapes, and baking the perfect Red Velvet Cake.

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Courteous Travel, The Art of Sharing Space

Copyright © 2018 by Helen S. Lawrence, Ph.D.

All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: Although the author has made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

The Cachet School of Etiquette, Inc

Editor: Douglas Williams

Design: Robin Vuchnich of mycustombookcover.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018906465

ISBN: 978-0-692-11699-9

First Edition

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents. Thank you for showing me kindness, teaching me tolerance, and inspiring me to always do my best work.

Love Helen

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Social Media Consultant, Romona Foster, for inspiring me to consider a writing project; Selwyn Jamie Jamison, Melvinia Caesar, Hans Hansen, Matt C., and Taniche Jinks for reviewing early drafts of my manuscript; my editor, Douglas Williams, for encouraging me as a first-time author; Robin Vuchnich, the greatest cover designer I could ever imagine; Peggy Newfield, owner of the American School of Protocol, for her mentorship and guidance; my sister, Rhoda Lawrence for always providing me with sound advice and unwaivering love and support (you are a brilliant Life Coach little sister!); Pamela Vanstory, for her support and encouragement; and my dearest husband Donald, for always being in my corner.

INTRODUCTION

After living in the Washington, D.C. area for almost 20 years, I have had the opportunity to observe many situations occurring in the public transportation sector. I’ve also traveled abroad extensively and visited many small towns and large cities. Washington, D.C., like many metropolitan cities, is filled with workers from the federal and city governments, college students, teachers, and tourists. On a typical commute to work, blue-collar, white-collar, and no-collar workers use public transportation to enable earning a fair day’s pay for a day of work. In the hustle and bustle of the morning or evening commute, strangers share seats and close spaces. On occasion, there is sometimes the unfortunate run-in with a traveler who either does not know how to behave, or simply chooses to be rude and of bad character. And, while this is certainly not the case for all travelers, it is true for some.

Although I live in a major metropolitan area and was born in New York City, I was raised in a rural, agricultural town in eastern North Carolina. My childhood days were spent observing nature and the lives of a careful and easygoing people. Within my community, individuals around me appeared to enjoy the simple things in life, like good conversations on the front porch, delicious home-cooked foods, and the scent of freshly mowed grass or the earthy odors from a nearby animal pasture. As children, we were encouraged to mind our manners, do our chores, keep up with homework, and get out into the fresh air for playtime with friends.

Our childhood home was surrounded by a variety of crops, such as cotton, corn, and tobacco. A scientist in the making, I was fascinated by the seemingly slow growth process of plants for crops. The concept of placing seeds into the ground and rainwater falling onto those seeds mixed with sun helping a seed later become a plant was miraculous. Observing the culture of plants and animals still resonates strongly with me today. These observations helped me to understand that the farming culture — agriculture — produces a beautiful simplicity and pace of life that people everywhere could aspire to in day-to-day living. My philosophy in life stems from my understanding of culture as it relates to living things around us, such as animals and plants, and I consider the differences between agriculture and human culture with regard to movement and shared spaces.

Unless we live as hermits or in isolation, we spend a lot of time in public in shared spaces. We share air, restrooms, country roads, city sidewalks, and highways. A public space is different from a private space. This means that, in public, there are limitations on how we should express ourselves or conduct our business. For example, at home I may choose to lounge on my sofa with my feet up on a chair, or laugh hysterically at a movie. Further still, I have the freedom and the right to be at ease all day long without taking a shower or paying attention to my personal hygiene or cleanliness. Within a personal space, I can choose to do all these things – and more. However, the moment I decide to share space or accommodations with others, I should make decisions contributing to the well-being and overall greater good of the community. This is in no way a slam against individualism or an attempt to promote rigidity. It is simply advice to assist in promoting positive, non-disruptive actions within public spaces.

This book will address the problems of rudeness and the ambivalent nature of people who share spaces, particularly transportation spaces. As an etiquette instructor, I’ve observed the problem of rudeness and offer a few reasons bad behavior may exist and offer my insights below:

People have not been taught to be considerate of others.

People are becoming more intolerant or impatient.

Is there any harm if rudeness and a lack of courtesy continue to advance within a society? Is a fundamental shift needed in our behavior toward one another? I would offer that the harm in being rude could perhaps be observed in children who may be either victims or perpetrators of bullying. In adults, the behavior is expressed when arguments