Chivalry is Asleep

I went out to lunch with one of my guy friends several days ago, and the restaurant was crowded, so we were waiting to be seated. An older couple (in their late 70s or early 80s, I suspect) walked into the restaurant a couple minutes after us. My friend and I were sitting on the bench, and he immediately stood up so that the woman could have a seat. I then proceeded to stand up, so that the man could have a seat too. They both had canes, and I figured they would enjoy the comfy seats more than I would. As soon as I stood up, the old man told me to sit back down. Said he liked to stand. I hesitated, but he insisted. So I sat back down. He then jovially informed me that "Chivalry isn't dead; it's just asleep." What a relief! *Sigh. I have a weakness for old men who wear suspenders, bow ties and Velcro shoes.

The conversation continued. The old man pointed to his cane and said, "You probably think I got this cane from being a veteran of one of the World Wars. Well, I'm here to tell you that I got this cane from being an idiot in the parking lot." The woman pointed to her cane and said, "And I have a bad knee." They then proceeded to tell us about how they had both served in WWII (he was on active duty, she was a nurse), and he pulled a little card out of his pocket that had a picture of his wife receiving a special military veteran award. He proudly bragged a about her accomplishments, and vice a versa. We found out that they met at Villanova back in the 50s and have been smitten with each other ever since. So cute. After a few more minutes of conversing, they called our table, so we said goodbye.

Over lunch, I started thinking about what he said... about how chivalry is asleep. It's so true. Things aren't like they used to be. Guys don't treat girls with the same respect that they used to (broad generalization), and, frankly, girls don't demand it like they should. Having a guy open your door, walk on the edge of the sidewalk closer to traffic or pull off the road to help you change a tire aren't bad things. In fact, they should be expected. I think. I'm probably going to regret this paragraph immediately after publishing the post, since one of my upcoming posts is going to be about how much I love being independent and fully capable of taking care of myself. But, at this moment, I'm feeling like there's not enough chivalry in the world. So guys, step it up a notch. And girls, don't forget to thank your man for his chivalrous behavior. It's rare these days.