Nice Hat!

  
As I was walking my pooché, Mojo, this morning, an elderly gentleman cycled past and shouted out, "Nice hat!" I shouted back, "Thank-you!"

  It changed the course of my day. I felt prettier, more confident, happier, and even considered chasing after him to give him a dakband; although admittedly my hat would have looked a lot less attractive squashed against my head with one hand, while the other dragged my small, white dog down the street simultaneously trying to wave the cyclist down. As I considered my options, I became aware of how difficult it was for me to simply accept the compliment without offering something in return, or even worse, deflecting it in some manner. I love to compliment people, in fact I make a point of complimenting a complete stranger every day. Yet, I struggle to accept the same gestures offered me.

Giving a compliment is certainly a deliberate act of kindness. Graciously receiving a compliment is also a deliberate act of kindness, both to yourself and the person offering the compliment. On an intellectual level I understand this, on an emotional level, well, let's just say I need practice. So I Googled, 'how to take a compliment' and this is what I found - it is great advice. Take four minutes to watch this video!

Practice today. Give someone a compliment, a complete stranger. Tell them you love their perfume, or their shoes, or whatever. Be aware of how they receive the compliment. Be aware of how their face and body language change, lights up. Be aware of how you feel. Now when someone compliments you, consider all these things and let your light shine. Just say, "Thank-you."

Here is a pic of my nice hat, and our beautiful Jaime.