Recently I was shopping in a Walmart and my day had been a cavalcade of suck. I'm still carrying Covid weight, my hair is greying and uncut and before I went to the store I opened a Diet Coke that blew up in my face and stained my new white shirt. So naturally, I went to the liquor store to preserve what was left of the hours before me. I didn't bother to change. Why? Nobody is looking.
While I was in the checkout a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said... "You have beautiful eyes. I noticed them above your mask. I saw you in the aisle and I just wanted to say that." I thanked her and we parted. After I stopped crying in my car while eating a rotisserie chicken and drinking a vodka/diet (in my mother's driveway... not driving) I reflected on that woman's kind words. They were short, simple and her intentions were only good. Yes, she was giving me a superficial boost, but, I needed it. And tomorrow was a better day because of it. Sometimes... a little compliment goes a really long way.
Redditor u/akar17 wanted to hear about all the ways we can make others smile by asking... What is the nicest compliment you have ever received?Crush
bashful snow white and the seven dwarves GIFGiphyA older friend of mine told me his daughter (teen) had a crush on me (not a teen) and said he was glad because that meant she had good taste and would find a good man when she grew up. I still think about it because although I was slightly uncomfortable I knew that must have been even harder for him to say which to me made it that much more meaningful.
fathers & sons
I lost my dad when I was in high school and a friend's mother wrote a condolence card that said "I never knew your dad but I do know the young man that he raised, and because of that I know what an amazing father he was." I got a lot of condolence cards around that time and that is the only one I remember.
Edit: thanks for the kind words, everyone! It was almost 20 years ago so it doesn't hurt quite so much anymore. We will all lose our parents someday unless they lose us first - and those are the real tragedies.
Let's do Trivia....
This was when I might have been 8-9 years old. I used to do well in trivia and quizzing. Not insanely good just good enough for people to notice. In our school sometimes if a teacher was absent a different teacher used to fill in their classes and these periods would be self study or something boring. One of the teachers who knew about me used to call me to the front of the class and frequently asked me to be the quizmaster and organize a mini trivia contest as an activity for that period.
I usually had some references books from where I used to source the questions.
One day she asked me to host the trivia competition for my classmates but I told her that I didn't have the book with me that day. In reply she told me that I should be fine because at that point I would know more than that silly trivia book anyway.
The confidence boost that one single line of random praise that I got that day still helps me tackle life's problems one at a time. I can essentially trace my confidence in my abilities to that one sentence uttered by my teacher. I'm eternally thankful to her words from that day.
Ride or Die
Kisses GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphyActually, I have two that are dear to me. The first was from a friend who had died way too young who told me that when he writes the book of his life, I would have my own chapter. The next was from a coworker who was ex-army that told me he would follow me into battle.
"you're so pretty!!"
7 years ago I was heading into the office to a job I hated, and stopped at McDonald's on the way.
I pulled up to the first window to pay, and after the young kid gave me my card back, before he closed the window, he said "you're so pretty!!" with a high voice and so much energy, and closed the window with a huge smile on his face.
That was when I was at my heaviest, nearing 300lbs and at one of the worst stages of my life physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I bawled my eyes out the entire ride to work after that. I'll never forget him and how he made me feel.
I Miss You
Probably not the nicest but one of the most memorable. I used to work as a runner for a delivery company (someone who helps drivers deliver stuff buy doesn't actually drive). If I was ever working with drivers I disliked, I would intentionally talk to them less and try unload the truck a lot faster than normal. If I liked the driver, we would go slower and have a lot more banter.
On my last day a driver I disliked came up to me in front of the boss and said "She's really fast and efficient, I'm going to miss working with her."
This made me realise that I spent way too much time getting frustrated at people who genuinely appreciated my help.
Silent Clap
I am very patient and usually overly-optimistic. I tend to think the best of others and the worst of myself.
In a morning status call recently, a coworker announced that she was "going to try to be more bubbly and patient, like me. A couple of coworkers agreed that they'd try and do the same and that everyone should try and emulate me a little bit. Typing this out, it sounds like some crap you'd see on r/thathappened, but it actually did happen, nobody clapped. I wish I had been recording the call. It was a huge boost to my mood and self-esteem and honestly one of the best (if not THE best) compliments I've ever received.
You Soothe
GiphyOne time when I was talking with a girl that I liked, she told me I have a soothing voice. I normally have trouble accepting compliments and actually believing them about myself, but that one kind of stuck with me.
Hair Bounce
Nicest compliment came from a little girl. She told me I had pretty hair, which is not anything special. But about 10 years on and I still remember this little girl I didn't know having the confidence to give a stranger a compliment. I dunno, it's stuck with me because SHE was so sweet.
Healthy Mind
Pop Tv Thank You GIF by Schitt's CreekGiphyThat I was the most emotionally intelligent person they know. (By two different people on two separate occasions) I hold this closely to my heart.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.