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.
