DEAR MISS MANNERS: As someone with limited mobility, I must often take cabs. I once found myself in a taxi, for an hour-long ride, with a driver who read "alternative" news sites, believed in conspiracy theories and apparently wanted to talk about them. I'm not sure how the conversation began, nor could I determine the best way to bring it to a close.

After approximately 15 minutes of this one-sided exchange, I blurted out, "Can we not talk about this? I find it very upsetting." The driver apologized and the rest of the ride was uneventful.

I'd like to know if there is a gentler way to end these types of conversations -- both for etiquette's sake, and to avoid upsetting someone enough to be left on the side of the road.

GENTLE READER: Time was when taxi drivers' political talk was considered a significant indication of public opinion. Reams about the state of the nation were written by pundits based on conversations during their transportation to the office.

How enlightening that was, Miss Manners cannot presume to say. But the toxic state of current political discourse makes the casual airing of opinions among strangers unappealing, if not dangerous.

Even stating why you find this upsetting could open a debate. All you need to say is, "I'm afraid I need some quiet time."

DEAR MISS MANNERS: The woman ahead of me in line left her overflowing grocery cart to take her toddler to the bathroom. When the line moved forward, I stepped around her cart and put my (few) items on the conveyor.

She came back before I finished checking out and proceeded to shame me in a loud voice for "cutting in line." To my chagrin, another young matron, also with an overflowing cart and a toddler in tow, was bagging her items ahead of me and chimed in.

Caught in the crossfire, I was at a loss for words (and so was the cashier). I completed my transaction and left, but I wish I had had the presence of mind to explain that since she left, no, I did not cut in front of her.

I feel the rules of etiquette have been turned upside down. I think I did the right thing in not saying anything, as it would have made things worse. I felt terrible and spent the day depressed and wondering if this was a harbinger of things to come.

GENTLE READER: Oh, not again -- another grocery line fight!

Miss Manners has gotten dozens of these lately. Aren't people advised to eat before they shop, so they won't overbuy? Maybe if they weren't hungry, they wouldn't be quite so growly.

Leaving is the best solution to such public rudeness. But if you had to stay to retrieve your groceries, you could have said, "I didn't know how long you would be away, and I didn't want to hold up the line."

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When meeting other people at a restaurant, often the host asks the first to arrive if they wish to be seated or to wait for the rest of the party to arrive. Is it proper to be seated ahead of the others? If so, is it proper to order drinks or appetizers while waiting?

GENTLE READER: Only if they are really late, and you greet them by saying, "I know you wouldn't have wanted us to wait."

(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, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friends and I, who are religion-free (otherwise known as atheist), are debating how to respond to people who tell us to "Have a blessed day" or use any other religious signoff. It's especially frustrating and offensive in what should be religion-free places of business, such as the doctor's office or a public agency.

While we don't want to be rude, and we know some people may not even understand why it is offensive and genuinely think they are being nice, we also don't want the obvious proselytizing and forced religious exchange to go unchecked.

It's tempting to respond with "Under his eye" or to explain that it's offensive, but that would mean revealing private information about our personal religious status. And when you reveal you aren't religious to someone who is, you risk being treated badly.

Instead, we almost always end up gritting our teeth and replying "You, too" or "Have a nice day" and letting it go. But it wears on us and makes us feel unwelcome and discriminated against. And it's becoming more and more prevalent.

Is there a polite way to respond that also gently tells the other person that that phrase is inappropriate and unwelcome?

GENTLE READER: Although you and your friends are religion-free, language is not. Even "goodbye" derives from "God be with ye." People who bless you when you sneeze would be puzzled to be accused of forcing their religion on you.

As you are against bringing religion into public discourse, Miss Manners wonders why you are even tempted to open such discussions. Explaining your position is surely an opening for others to explain theirs. She suggests that you continue to tolerate conventional cliches and stop taking them personally.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I recently searched for the address of an instructor from my college years, which were about 35 years ago, so I could thank her again for helping me learn and grow. I was shocked to learn that she had died in 2010 (she wasn't that old -- 67).

I began drafting a condolence letter to her husband, whom I never knew, but a close friend has gently suggested that I ought not to send it. She suggested that I should deal privately with my grief; that my grief about this loss is perhaps amplified by some other, more recent losses in my life; that sending a condolence letter to someone so long after the fact might be gauche; and that the widower, who was roughly my instructor's contemporary, might be dealing with the challenges that can come with old age and therefore might not welcome this reminder of his absent wife.

On the one hand, I would want to know -- even 12 years later -- that my late parent or partner had touched someone's life. On the other, my friend has made some valid points.

GENTLE READER: No, she hasn't.

Only people who have never lost someone dear to them could believe that the bereaved don't want to be reminded that such a person ever existed. Why your close friend wants to talk you out of offering a source of comfort to an elderly widower, Miss Manners cannot imagine.

(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, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A few years ago (pre-COVID), my son had a destination wedding in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He and his fiancee invited their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and about a dozen of their closest friends. We provided dinner and drinks for all guests after the rehearsal, and the bride's parents provided dinner and drinks for the wedding reception.

I was truly irked when I learned that the guests did not cough up some wedding presents when everyone arrived home. They said they didn't need to give presents because they had blessed the couple with their presence (my words).

Geez Louise, they were treated to two nights of dinners and unlimited drinks! I know I shouldn't let it get to me, especially after all these years, but it may be helpful to other out-of-country wedding guests to know the proper etiquette when attending weddings.

GENTLE READER: That is true. However, Miss Manners will have to insist that you not be the one who states it.

Because what you fail to appreciate in your somewhat oblivious rant is that by attending an out-of-country wedding, your guests have already coughed up at least a couple of grand -- on airfare, hotel, additional meals and the oxymoronic "beach formalwear" that the invitation undoubtedly demanded. Not to mention the sacrifice of personal vacation time.

Surely this is worth a few dinners -- as much or more so than an overpriced set of bath towels. So the proper etiquette here is that, geez Louise, the guests do not need to agree to all of this. And even if they do, presents are optional -- although Miss Manners will concede that it is impolite to state that so explicitly.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A woman who recently joined my church is quite intrusive, and tramples all over personal boundaries. I'm at a loss as to how to tell her that her questions are none of her business without being rude myself.

For example: She and I are in the choir together. One Sunday, a friend (another choir member) and I were having a quiet, private conversation in a corner of the choir loft away from everyone else. We were discussing a health concern I have. I told my friend that my doctor was changing my medications.

Just then, the new woman came up and overheard my last sentence. She then asked me why I take medication.

I'm afraid I froze because I didn't know how to answer. I'm not comfortable with her knowing this information, but also didn't want to say something that could come across as rude. When I didn't answer, she started badgering me by asking if I have a heart condition, liver problems, etc. Luckily for me, the service was about to start, so the conversation ended.

How do I shut down this type of questioning without being impolite?

GENTLE READER: "Oh my goodness, how rude of us. Evelyn and I should not be having our private conversations here in church. I'm so sorry." And then Miss Manners suggests that you limit future conversations to completely secluded areas.

(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, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)