You’ve probably heard the expression:

“What are you, a man or a mouse?”

It’s often used to encourage a person to be brave and stand up for himself. There were plenty of years when I would have to say I was definitely a “mouse”. As a kid, I was taught to be accommodating, polite, respectful – all virtues to be sure – but there are times when it seems only fair to speak up if you are uncomfortable.

Last week, Sir Beads and I took an afternoon off and decided to go for a drive and then out for a nice dinner – something we haven’t done for a while; it’s getting so expensive.

We love seafood so we went to a restaurant where that is the specialty. It was early evening. The restaurant wasn’t crowded yet, but there were 7 or 8 other couples and families already in the small dining room as we entered.

Our meal was served and we hadn’t had more than a few bites when the hostess began to run an electric broom nearby. At first, I didn’t think too much about it. I figured she was just grabbing a few crumbs from under a table that had been occupied moments before.

I was wrong, though. She began to move all the chairs and thoroughly “sweep” that area… and then she moved to a neighboring table and did the same. The sound was quite loud and high-pitched.

Now, there was a time when I would have just suffered in silence, but not that day. Maybe I’m bolder cause I’m older? Lol 😉

I said to Sir Beads, “This is ruining our calm, relaxing, meal. We’re spending a chunk of our entertainment budget here, and we can’t afford to waste it. I must say something to the woman.”

So, I very politely asked if the noise would be stopping soon because this was not a peaceful atmosphere for enjoying our dinner. She immediately turned off the machine and the other diners looked grateful. I am baffled that anyone would ever make such a racket in the first place, especially with several tables of people trying to eat.

I must admit that afterwards, I felt a little bad about it. I feared that I seemed like a complainer. I guess all that politeness training is tough to shake, even when it seems fair to do so.

What do you think? 😉

Hugs,