Wednesday, August 20, 2014
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 . . .
What a great compliment (and little girl)! I know as I get older I tend to fuss less about my appearance (makeup - yuck). I love to see women without it, it shows their true beauty. We should feel comfortable in our skin - I am - wrinkles and all!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sandy