On Vanity and Hair and Compliments

Like Anne Shirley, I have one vanity.  No, it's not my nose.  It's my hair.

Most of my life I've had long, thick, softly curling hair.  And when I was a girl, it was a beautiful auburn color.  The older I grow, the darker it gets and is becoming streaked, little by little, with grey.  But it's still thick and luxurious as they say.

Recently at a restaurant, I was in the ladies' room washing my hands.  A little girl, nine or ten years old, came in after me and waited behind me for her turn to use the single sink.  After a moment or two, she looked at me in the mirror and said, "I love your hair.  It's beautiful."  Surprised by her sweet sincerity, I responded, "Thank you very much!" and made my way back to our table.

That compliment made my day.

Oh, not because I'm that vain about my hair.  But because I was struck by the genuineness of that little girl.  To give a simple but sincere compliment to someone decades older than herself really spoke to me and had me asking, "How often do I do the same thing for others?"

The answer would be, "Not nearly as often as I want to."  But, thankfully, there's an easy remedy: Just pay more attention to others and speak from the heart.

A little child shall lead them, indeed . . .