A Few Things I Believe In
I believe being on time matters.
Being late stresses me out. Really stresses me out. Usually to the point that whoever or whatever is making me late is going to hear about it.
There is one exception. When I am invited to someone's home, I usually arrive ten or fifteen minutes after the stated time. Never early. I know what those last few minutes before guests arrive are like. Something always needs to be finished, changed, wiped down or put away. I like to give the host those minutes.
I believe your word should mean something.
If I say I am going to do something, I do it. There really isn't much more to say about this one. For me, that is the standard.
I believe invitations deserve an answer.
Someone thought to include me and is now trying to plan around the people they invited. Even if I don't have an answer yet, I can acknowledge the invitation and give one as soon as I do.
I believe in saying hello and goodbye.
When I enter a room, I say hello and when I leave, I say goodbye. Maybe these are small courtesies.
And I believe in leaving things ready for the person who comes after me.
I like walking into a clean kitchen in the morning, so I clean up after myself and ask everyone else in the house to do the same. My children are young adults now. I am no longer cleaning up after little ones.
When a meeting ends at the office, the conference room is reset for the next meeting. I return what I borrow and take care of it while it is mine. I will even wipe the water from around a bathroom sink before I leave.
I don't do any of these things perfectly, but I try. I have shown up twenty minutes late. My partner and I have very different ideas about what counts as late, so we have a compromise. If it is something important to me, he does his best to be on time. If it is something of his, I try not to watch the clock and stress over being late.
I have forgotten to respond to an invitation. I have gone to bed with dishes in the sink. And I am still regularly the person reminding everyone else to clean the counters.
I think stewardship can be found here too.