Thank You, Esquire Magazine

Photo Credit:Geoff Charles Collection at the National Library of Wales

Sure, I get annoyed when I open up Esquire magazine and find exploitative photos of women. I also don't appreciate the chauvinistic tones of some of its columns and have to remind myself that I am not the magazine's target audience. Still, the writing is overall very good, and I frequently find informative, up-to-date stories about men's clothing and investigative journalism which is often outstanding.  It may sound like a snooze, but this article, "Do We Really Want to Live Without the Post Office?" was terrific.

Anyway, a small piece in May's issue caught my eye: "How to Be Gracious, and Why." Although this article was aimed at businessmen, its advice is universal. Here, according to writer Tom Chiarella, is what you should do "when wandering the world:

      Stay interested in others;

      Smile. If you can't smile, you can't be gracious;

      Stand when someone enters the room; and

      Introduce people to others with pleasure in your voice.

If you can't muster enthusiasm for the people you happen upon in life, then you cannot be gracious."

Here is why you should behave graciously:

       "The return--the payback if you will--is the reputation you will quickly earn, the curiosity of others, the sense that people want to be in the room with you. People trust the gracious man to care. The return comes in kind."

I read this article to my 12 and 14 year old daughters and will quote it when I talk to groups about dressing professionally. Our world can benefit from more gracious behavior.