Why thank you!

Day 11 - Something people seem to compliment you the most on.


This is a tough one. I don't really get a lot of compliments or if I do I don't remember. But as I was thinking about this I wondered, why are we so quick to believe the bad things people say about us? Not only do we believe them we carry it for years, when a compliment is quickly dismissed. What makes it so difficult for a woman to receive a compliment? Tell a woman her outfit is great, and the usual answer: 'What, this old thing?' Tell her she looks well, and she'll respond: 'You mean I look fat, don't you.' Exclaim that you love her new haircut, and she'll accuse you of hating the old one.

No wonder men sometimes feel it's better to say nothing at all. Women, just say "thank you" and smile!

Secondly, I wondered why are we so quick to say the mean things and leave the compliments unspoken. A few years ago, pre-divorce when I was trying to be a better wife, I realized I never told him a lot of the good things I appreciated or thought. Sometimes I would look at him and think "that's my favorite shirt, he looks really good in that color" or "I really appreciate that he makes me breakfast every morning". But, I never said them out loud I just assumed he knew. When we were trying to "make things work" I decided I'm going to make sure I said these things out loud. And when he ticks me off and I want to speak my mind, I'm gonna think twice. Of course, it takes more than nice compliments to make a marriage work and I moved on, but it taught me a beautiful lesson. Don't hold in a nice compliment. You never know when it will be exactly what that person needs to hear. Even for a stranger but especially for those you love.