Earlier today, I made a huge lasagna dinner complete with appetizers. We had a couple of our neighbor friends over to share our New Years Day feast. We had a great time all the way around. About 10 minutes into the festivities, something was said that completely lifted my spirits.
To back up a bit, one of our neighbor friends, who we consider family, has a close friend. We don't know her well. We always wave in passing. Often times, she leaves her car in our neighbor friend's driveway while they go out.
In early December, we left a gift bag on her car with a gift inside. A Secret Santa gifts of sorts. Lisa was outside grilling when she discovered it. Our neighbor friend exclaimed, "That's the wooden snowmen that Lisa and Lisa make!"
Needless to say, the "Secret" Santa aspect was a bust. We got a good laugh over that.
The recipient walked over to our yard and gave Lisa a big hug and thanked her. I was inside finishing up dinner prep.
On Saturday, as we were heading out the door to run some errands, our neighbor friend gave us a gift bag. Her friend had dropped it off for her to give us. There were 2 very thoughtful gifts inside for Lisa and myself. We were surprised and extremely grateful.
Not even 2 hours later, while running errands, we saw her. This was the first time I had ever been face to face with this woman. We hugged and I thanked her for the thoughtful gift. We chatted for a few minutes.
Tonight, after one of our neighbor friends settled in at the table, she told us that she knew "M" had bumped into us at the store on Saturday.
Our neighbor friend looked at me and said, "She had something to say about you..."
I inhaled slowly then exhaled.
"Okay, how bad was it?"
"It wasn't bad at all. You want to know what she said?"
Another slow inhale and exhale.
"Okay..."
I was honestly expecting the worst.
"She said you are beautiful. She's only seen you from a distance. She said she didn't realize how beautiful you actually are."
I 'bout near fell over in my chair.
I was honestly speechless, but at the same time, I was touched.
I remembered what I had worn on Saturday when Lisa and I went shopping. A long cotton black skirt. A grey turtleneck. Hair in a sloppy bun. Flip flops. Lip gloss. Nails freshly polished.
That's my typical daily attire except when I'm home, I wear lounge pants.
I don't go out in public with the impression that I look stunning.
I'm a Work at Home Dog Mom. Most of the time, I feel schlumpy. I dress comfortable because of what I do from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. I'm either working or cleaning or cooking or painting and everything between.
I don't dress up. My clothing is simple and comfortable.
My accessories include earrings on occasion and copious amounts of dog hair.
I don't wear makeup aside from lip stuff or nail polish.
Cosmetics irritate my face.
And, I certainly am not partaking in the eyebrow craze.
I wear flip flops because they're comfortable and I hate shoes and socks.
My hair is always in a sloppy bun because I do a tremendous amount of cooking and baking throughout the day.
So no, I certainly don't feel beautiful by society's standards.
When our neighbor friend told me that, it made a huge impact.
On me.
Originally, I wasn't going to share this particular conversation. I didn't want assumptions made that I was sharing this out of vanity.
I'm certainly not.
However, after giving it a bit of thought, I decided to share this because I want everyone to think about something.
That "something" is taking a few minutes out of your day to do a few things.
Compliment someone.
Extend gratitude.
Give someone a verbal shout out on a job well done.
Let someone know their time and efforts are appreciated.
I can personally attest that these tiny bits of being noticed don't go unnoticed.
More so, taking the time to notice others whether it's a gorgeous shirt they're wearing or thanking them for including you in festivities is priceless.
It only takes a few seconds to say, text or email, "Hey, that sweater looks beautiful on you" or "Your hair looks amazing" or "Thank you for including me/us in your holiday festivities."
I know, to a lot of people, that may seem frivolous, but it's not.
Trust me. It isn't.
In this day and age, giving someone a compliment or thanking them or extending gratitude for this or that takes no time at all.
Do it.
Teach your kids and teens and young adults to do the same.
It makes all the difference in the world.
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