Miss Manners: I’m baffled by this frequent question about my hair

DEAR MISS MANNERS I am in my late s and have been going gray since preschool Related Articles Miss Manners One of the guests made everybody walk out in the middle of my party Miss Manners She s declared herself the dessert boss and the rest of us end up paying Miss Manners Don t they realize it s rude to make a car chirp like that Miss Manners How do I tell a medical practitioner not to swear in front of my kid Miss Manners I have to wear a name tag and I hate the way these men say my name My hair is now about gray I like it and get multiple compliments about it to which I invariably say thank you and answer any questions What confuses me is that at least once a month a stranger asks me whether I know that I have gray hair Not if it s natural or at what age I went gray but Do you know you have gray hair This boggles my mind yes I am aware of my own hair color I have mirrors It s also long enough that I can see it coming down my shoulders without a mirror What would be the proper way to respond GENTLE READER Really in a tone of extreme surprise and with a hand up to your hair Miss Manners would perhaps add Do you have a mirror I could borrow But for those wanting less drama perhaps Thank you for letting me know Or just Thank you with the presumption that it must be meant as a compliment DEAR MISS MANNERS From the files of good manners run amok is it ever impolite to be friendly I work in a bustling circumstances where my sole -minute break is in a shared break room where I like to read or just eat quietly and enjoy the peacefulness One colleague comes in daily to use the microwave and inevitably announces her entrance with a very loud and cheerful Hello everybody Two minutes later having made no other conversation she leaves with an equally boisterous Have a good afternoon everybody When she makes these announcements the majority people choose to interrupt their conversations their chewing or their quiet events to respond in kind twice It feels rude not to I however ignore her well-meaning but general and in my opinion disruptive salutations and remain silent It has become a daily annoyance to me as I can t shake the feeling that I am obligated to reply Is it impolite to ignore such untargeted greetings or am I correct in thinking that she is in fact the one committing the error in etiquette GENTLE READER Oh please Greeting colleagues is rude because it interferes with chewing Miss Manners is afraid that whatever time you spent working remotely has warped your idea of collegial behavior It is true that having to treat co-workers as dear friends was a farce that may now be recognized as such You needn t engage in conversations unrelated to work or socialize with them after hours But you do have to observe the decency of recognizing their presence Even if it means sacrificing the reading time it takes you to say hello DEAR MISS MANNERS My husband and I are invited to our neighbor s high school graduation next month Related Articles Dear Abby I have a secret second home Do I need to come clean about it now Asking Eric My income has doubled since the divorce Do I owe my ex anything Dear Abby It s like I m living in a movie but not in a good way Asking Eric My final farewell with a friend left me feeling empty Harriette Cole My friend thought I d be foolish enough to fall for his scheme The neighbor s last name starts with a C and my husband suggested that we depart the ceremony after our neighbor in alphabetic position crosses the stage I find this rude but I also understand these ceremonies are lengthy and this is a senior class of What s your opinion on this GENTLE READER That you should leave either after Z or before A By the latter answer Miss Manners means declining the invitation with warm congratulations to the neighbors Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website www missmanners com to her email dearmissmanners gmail com or through postal mail to Miss Manners Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO