Did you ever receive an extravagant compliment you didn’t think you deserved?
Ms L went out feeling glum today, uncharacteristically dressed in simple leggings, piratical boots, a turtle neck or 3, and a lovely long heavy merino-wool-and-bamboo sweater that was a Xmas presie to herself, half price.
No glitter, no playfulness, not her usual self at all. The only unusual note: 3 turquoise scarves, 1 velvet, 1 silk, 1 cotton, a lovely interplay of textures. Oh, and Ms L’s usual Leonard Cohen fedora.
Then a woman with her husband and three kids came up to me, and said, “You look great!” I almost looked around to see who she was talking to, but she was close enough to me and looking in my eyes for me to see she meant me.
Seeing my shock, she added, “I mean it, you look fabulous!” in a Spanish inflected voice.
I told her “You made my day.” From glum to fabulous-with-a-wiggle, all it took was one compliment. Ms L decided this was something lovely to pass on. So before she got home, she complimented 3 other people on their attire or accessories. One was so surprised, it took him 6 steps to turn around and say shyly but loudly, “THANK you.”
What a lot we humans can do for each other, in such simple ways.
