Three words which I use most often are Sorry, Please & Thank you. I say it to everyone - be it my family, my friends, colleagues, clerks or any random person. I don't think it makes me smaller than the other person or a pushover.

I say thank you to the office boy when he gives me coffee or to my colleague when he lends me a pen or to my husband when he prepares a lovely dinner or my mother when she gives me a gift. It surprises quite a few people when I say thank you to someone for having done their job - whether the job is serving me with coffee or selling me a pack of biscuits from his grocery shop or whether it is running to get me the correct size of the clothing that I am trying on. 

I say sorry when I  mistakenly stamp someone's foot in the bus or a crowded room  or when I hurt someone.

I say please when I ask for anything from anyone, be it my husband or the clerk.

A smile and a word go a long way - whether it is the sales person altering your outfit & giving it to you the same day for the party or when you request the court master to adjust a date. I don't believe in smiling and talking politely only when I need something or when the boss is around.

I am of the belief that practising common courtesy with family, friends, co-workers or any random person is a way of life. I also believe that it reflects very negatively when a person does not practice it. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but if I have given someone a time and know that I am going to be late, I will call and apologise for the same. If smeone takes me out for a meal, I will say thank you. Even if I know the person really well, I will still say  please, sorry & thank you.

Sadly, not many practice basic courtesy today. I see parents not teaching their kids any manners saying they will learn it later. Later? When later? I see kids in whose dictionaries, sorry & thank you does not even exist. 

People tell me I am a pushover since I use these words freely. I beg to differ. People who know me will be the first to state that whatever else I maybe, a pushover is the last thing that I am. If someone takes me for granted because I use sorry & thank you, then that person is very much mistaken. 

 For me it is a way of life & speech.