respect Archives - Diana Derringer

Good Taste

April 22, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

What qualifies as good taste? That’s a great question, but it has no single correct answer. We vary from one another and so does our description of good taste. Yet, we can agree on two general definitions.

Good taste means a sense of what is proper and pleasing in social activities.

Acceptable behavior in some settings causes great discomfort in others. Wise choices and tactfulness outweigh personal preferences.

Good taste also means wise beauty, art, and intellectual choices.

We know how to make ourselves and our surroundings attractive. We find examples in:

Housing
Decorations
Food
Clothing
Music
Books

Yet, what we consider refined or sophisticated, other people consider snobbish or laughable. We may be dressed to the nines for our neck of the woods. Yet, the same attire would be inappropriate or highfalutin in other settings.

Love and respect for others are always in good taste.

Jesus set the perfect example in word and deed. May we faithfully follow.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him “ (Psalm 34:8 NIV).

Thanks to Joe and Ann Klotz for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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What’s Good for the Goose Is Good for the Gander

January 23, 2023 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

If my sister received a privilege as a child, I thought I had the same right. My little brain believed what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Since my grandmother raised geese, I knew a gander was a male goose. However, I also knew this expression applied to both males and females.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander relates to fairness.

If my sister enjoyed a treat, I wanted one too. That included such favors as:

No chores
Late curfews
New clothes or books

If anything is okay for one person, it should be for another.

I wanted equal treatment, and so did my sister.

Regardless of backgrounds or circumstances, most people want to be treated with:

Respect
Dignity
Worth

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander keeps everyone off a high horse.

If my sister and I acted too high and mighty, we knew our goose was cooked. We ended up in trouble.

God created all people in His image.

To follow God means to treat one another with the same love, forgiveness, and justice God gives.

“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15 NIV).

Thanks to Becky Nash Rowe for the suggestion. Image by Ted Erski from Pixabay.

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You Can’t Squeeze Blood from a Turnip

October 1, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip means something is extremely hard to do.

You may also hear:

It is like getting blood from a turnip.
You can’t draw blood from a turnip.
It is like getting blood from a stone.

All usually deal with efforts to get money or information from someone.

The person:

Has what we need but will not share or help
Or has little or no money or information

Often a person has a bill but no way to pay it.

A few businesspeople understand. Others do not.

During my social work years, a doctor cared for a couple and their children. One day we discussed their many needs. The doctor said, “You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip.” He knew the family was poor as a church mouse. They would probably never be able to pay his bill.

However, the doctor continued to treat the family. He also gave them the same respect he gave everyone else. The family paid him $1 every month. He admired their effort to pay what they could.

You can’t squeeze blood from a turnip. You can treat everyone with respect.

Count your blessings. Then share those blessings with others.

“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31 NIV).

Thanks to Rhonda Wade Royster for the suggestion.

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Served on a Silver Platter

April 16, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 0 Comment

Some people expect life served on a silver platter.

When they eat in fine restaurants, their food may be served on a silver platter (a large serving plate that symbolizes wealth). They eat high on the hog.

People who expect life served on a silver platter expect the best.

They don’t think they should ask for it. Instead, people should know and give them what they want. If they don’t receive what they want, they get upset.

Those people don’t want to work for it.

They think others should wait on them. They believe they deserve the best because of their:

Riches
Relationship with important people
History of being served

People with such expectations believe they are better than others.

They:

Act high and mighty
Show no respect for anyone else
Hurt others in order to get their way
Get too big for their britches

Not everyone who expects life served on a silver platter is rich.

However, most have usually had their way. As a result, they think they should continue to get what they want when they want it.

Not every rich person expects life served on a silver platter.

Many wealthy people:

Share their riches
Work hard
Treat others with respect

Whether rich or poor as a church mouse, people can count their blessings and share those blessings with others. Serving others makes life so much better than serving self.

“Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf” (Proverbs 11:28 NIV).

Thanks to Glenda Britton for the suggestion.

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We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar

June 26, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

We Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar-honey in jars

We catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Set some honey near flies and watch what happens.

Nothing equals the sweet taste of honey.

Flies love it. So do people.

We don’t usually like the taste of vinegar by itself.

Think about what that teaches.

We get our needs met faster when we are polite.

Be sweet to other people.

Treat everyone as we want to be treated.
Show respect.
Speak and act with kindness.
Smile.
Give more than expected for good measure.

A bad attitude makes everyone feel worse.

We cannot act sour and expect everyone to treat us well. When we complain constantly, we should not expect good service.

Yet, one small act of kindness can make everyone feel and act better.

Watch what happens when a happy baby enters a room full of frowning adults. The whole room changes.

The baby laughs, waves, and tries to play with the adults.
Adults smile, wave, and play with the child.
Soon everyone has a great time.

We may not be sweet as a baby. However, we can be friendly. Let’s add a little joy to the lives of those we meet.

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NET).

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Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

Act High and Mighty

June 5, 2017 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Some people think they are better than others.

Those who act high and mighty:

Appear proud and powerful
Want others to admire them
Believe they are more important than others
Act the opposite of humble, down-to-earth people.

People who act high and mighty have become too big for their britches.

They fail to treat everyone with respect.

No one is more or less important than anyone else. Different positions do not equal different worth.

The high and mighty don’t remain there forever.

Mountains change. People change.

The tallest mountains slowly erode. Rain, wind, animals, and people wear away the dirt and rocks. Time also changes the positions people fill.

God alone is eternally high and mighty.

God is God. People are not. Only God deserves our highest honor.

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you” (Psalm 89:8 NIV)

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Cost an Arm and a Leg

November 7, 2016 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Many things cost much more than we want to pay.

If we believe their price is too high, we say they cost an arm and a leg. Most of the time we mean they cost too much money:

Fancy cars
Big houses
The latest electronics
Long vacations

All these may be nice, but none are worth the loss of an arm or leg. In fact, I don’t know anyone who wants to give an arm and a leg for anything.

Sometimes we say, “I would give my right arm for” something we want. However, we don’t mean it. We simply wish we owned that item.

On Veterans Day, we honor those who pay a great price for our freedom.

Many give an arm and a leg or much more. Those who serve our country face danger most of us cannot imagine.

Veterans often suffer in ways we never see. We immediately notice missing arms and legs. However, losses we don’t see can cause as much pain or worse.

One good turn deserves another. Do something special for a veteran this week. We can never repay veterans for all they give. However, we can offer respect and an attitude of gratitude.

To those who faithfully serve or have served, thank you. We salute you, one and all.

“The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough” (Psalm 49:8 NIV).

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Old Glory

June 30, 2015 Diana Derringer Comments 5 comments

Many people today call any flag of the Unites States Old Glory. However, that nickname began with one flag.

The first Old Glory was a 17- by 10-foot flag with 24 stars. It belonged to sea captain William Driver. We can still see that flag in the National Museum of American History.

Like the original Old Glory, today’s flags have seven red stripes and six white stripes. The stripes represent the first 13 states. However, the number of stars changed as we added states. We now have 50 white stars for our 50 states.

Some people also call the flag Stars and Stripes. Another nickname is The Star-Spangled Banner, the title of our national anthem.

According to PBS, each color of the flag has special meaning.

Red — Hardiness and Valor
White — Purity and Innocence
Blue — Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice

Thousands of people have died to provide the freedom our flag represents. We show respect when we say the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag by:

Standing at attention
Facing the flag
Men removing their hats
Placing right hand over the heart
People in the military saluting

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.”

“Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God and honor the government” (1 Peter 2:17 TLB).

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Low Man on the Totem Pole

November 4, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Totem poles are carved and painted by Native Americans in the northwest part of North America.

According to dictionary.com, comedian Fred Allen probably started our saying “low man on the totem pole” around 1940. The phrase became popular “despite its lack of application to a genuine totem pole.”

The low man on the totem pole is often considered the least important person in a group.

He holds the lowest position.
Others show him little respect.
He usually has to do the work no one else wants to do.

A new person in an organization may refer to himself as low man on the totem pole.

Nevertheless, the low man on the totem pole has hope.

Everyone must begin somewhere. Most begin at the bottom and then work their way up to the position they desire.

Some people prefer a lower position. In addition, the person at the top cannot do what he needs to do without the people who work below him.

People at the bottom are needed as much as those at the top.

Often they are needed more.

If the lowest image on a totem pole is destroyed, the totem pole can no longer stand. Repairs may help, but the totem pole will never be the same. That truth applies to organizations as well. Therefore, my hat’s off to all who serve as low man on the totem pole.

Click here for further information about totem poles.

“Work happily together. Don’t try to act big. Don’t try to get into the good graces of important people, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:16 TLB).

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