What do I talk about on my education-themed blog when it's summertime? I just re-read my summer entries from the past two years and I noticed that I share reflections on excursions, summer PD/learning, comments on my AQ teaching and I stick in potentially controversial topics that have been simmering in my mind but I didn't want to draw too much attention to with a during-the-school-year post.
Today's blog stems from a ten-second interaction at a Tim Horton's. I was in the middle of an errand-filled day and was grabbing donuts for my husband and son, who were getting their hair cuts nearby. As I exited, a man approached me and said, "I don't mean to be rude, but I have to tell you that you are extremely gorgeous." 🤯
I was not expecting that at all. I thanked him for the compliment and walked back to the salon, eager to report the interaction. "My boys" had some interesting theories about what elicited such a comment. They suggested the cut of my clothes inspired the words. (For reference, I had no makeup on and was wearing a Just Cozy t-shirt, Just Cozy biker shorts, and sandals.) My family and I wove the phrase "extremely gorgeous" into our conversations for the rest of the day, watching to see how long it would take my daughter to notice and ask what was up. (To her credit, it didn't take long. Mary is very observant.)
I'm not vain, but I have to be honest - that compliment really made my day. I was tickled by the kind words because there was nothing transactional or sinister about it. The person giving me the compliment was younger than me, and it didn't feel like he was angling to receive anything in return.
It made me wonder how likely it would be for me to do something similar. Would I tell someone I have never met that they were beautiful or athletic or wonderful? Even though I'm quite confident, I'm not sure if I would. It's one thing to praise someone that you are already having a conversation with - I've frequently lauded the gorgeous nails I've seen on cashiers when I'm in line paying for things - but it's another when I need to initiate, when the person I intend to flatter isn't aware of me at all. Why would I hesitate to appreciate someone? I suspect it's because I'm not sure if they'd take the compliment just at face value. I worry that people would wonder what my ulterior motives were, or that they'd think I was creepy. Considering that the man prefaced his compliment with "I don't mean to be rude", I presume that he didn't know how I'd accept the admiration. It reminds me a bit of the Fluevog community, and how delighted people can be when strangers approach them to praise their unique shoes.
The young man's commendation (can you tell I looked up synonyms for "compliment" halfway through writing today's blog post?) has inspired me to make an attempt to "pay it forward" by admiring people and communicating it in an appropriate way more often. It also encouraged me to buy some more Just Cozy t-shirts! I'll end today's post with a family selfie, taken at The Prague (a fantastic Czech restaurant in Scarborough). (Please excuse my handsome husband's expression - he often responds to my demand for a group photo with a mix of skepticism and bewilderment.)
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