An unexpected compliment, from an unexpected source, and my unanticipated joy led me to ponder a bit about compliments…
This week I had the gift of spending time with Anthony (11) and Anna (2) while the other two little loves spent a few hours each morning at gymnastic camp. One morning, we we went on the hunt for used books for Anthony's 6th grade book list. My favorite used book store is attached to a cafe of sorts. It was 11:00 so we stopped there for the kids to get a snack and for me to refill on coffee. The place was busy, but we found a seat next to a handsome 70 year old gent who seemed amused by my talkative eldest and my constantly mobile youngest. The seats are super close to one another so it was pretty easy for him to ease-drop as we discussed sharing the soup, added ice cubes and let it cool.
Once the kids got settled, I left them for just a few minutes so that I could check the classics rack against the reading list. Striking out rather quickly, I returned. The kids were doing as well as expected and we hung out another little while while they finished, but I got something unexpected as we got up to leave. The gentleman next to us extended his hand to me with a big smile and, among other things, congratulated me on the job I was doing as a mom.
Giving a complement takes just a moment and is one of the nicest and easiest things you can do.
We all know how amazing it feels to be given a genuine compliment, so why are we so stingy when it comes to sharing our own compliments and other good things?