Crossing the street, opening doors, and great ladies

The girls and I were discussing cultural differences and women that really stepped out of their roles to do great things. It brought back a lot of great memories.

1. I told the girls the story about all the older men in Tokyo that wouldn't let me walk next to the road, and how I really had to plan out my route between the institute and the hotel to avoid hurting anyone's feeling or causing too much trouble. It came down to the fact that I needed to be on the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the road, which sometimes meant crossing extra streets.
2. I told the girls about being in Yellowstone, and going to a Bible study with one of the boys from Tennessee, in his car. I was so happy when he unlocked and opened my car door for me. After I was in the car, I reached over and unlocked the driver-side door. He got in the car and said that he was so happy to be with another Southerner because none of the other girls are polite enough to unlock his door for him. I suppose small favors like this go out the window, so to speak, once everyone has automatic door locks. (When we were in England, as a family, my husband kept forgetting that the driver's side was on the right, and he would go to the left side of the car, and then pretend that he'd been doing that all along so that he could open the door for me. It was pretty funny.)
3. We talked about Mother Teresa and Corrie Ten Boom. The girls had heard the names before, but weren't entirely sure of exactly why they were so famous. It was really an encouragement to me to think about what these women had accomplished in such difficult circumstances.