Let's be ladies!

Today I was standing in line at Starbucks, eagerly awaiting my own festive little red cup with the white lid all full of holiday cheer, which was extra cheerful as it was paid for by a cheery little gift card!  As I’m waiting in eager anticipation, contemplating the variety of deliciously wheaty breakfast treats, I hear a couple of young women (for they were not ladies) enter behind me. I shuffled forward as best I could to accommodate them in the very small and equally crowded lobby. 

The girls behind me were dressed to the nines for work, both very pretty and very stylish.  All of this was almost immediately lost, though, when I heard the string of profanity unleashed from their mouths in the course of their conversation.  There was no blocking out the voices just inches behind me.  I must say, there is absolutely nothing ladylike or feminine about uttering the f-word, particularly when it is used to punctuate each sentence quite emphatically. 

I was quite relieved when I picked up my order and hastily made my way back out into the general hum of downtown Seattle where such harsh words blend in with the melodious sounds of ferry horns, train whistles, traffic, and at this time of year festive greetings on every corner. 

I will say I have grown accustomed to salty speech around me, and though I don’t like it, I admit I’m fairly immune to it.  I have never, and will never, get used to women, particularly young, well-put together women uttering such words.  It makes what was on first glimpse beautiful and fresh, ugly and vulgar.  So please, women, let’s be ladies.  Let’s get creative with our speech and season it with kindness and lovely words, not the harsh vulgarities all too common in today’s society.  Let’s live up to our external beauty by striving for equal, if not much greater, internal beauty, which after all diffuses a kind of warm and beautifying light across even the plainest of features.