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By Diane Forrest
Every Sunday when I go to church, I sit behind a lady
and her husband; they are in their 70's, and a lovely couple. Each Sunday she always comments on how I
look, or what I am wearing. It always makes
me feel so good to be noticed, and bad at the same time, because I fail to
return a compliment to her. When it crosses
my mind, I don't mention it, because I don't want to feel like a copycat or
insincere, but occasionally I try to compliment her first, to make sure I
really mean it. Of course who would lie
in church?
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Everyone loves an unexpected compliment. It sometimes throws people off guard, and
changes their facial expression from a frown to a smile, from a bad disposition
to a happy one.
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Today is Pay a Compliment Day. You don’t just have to do it today though,
try to get in the habit of paying one every day to someone different. I promise you won't go into debt. When you
compliment someone, make sure you mean it, and not just saying something to be
nice. Pick out one thing you like about the person, and focus on that such as,
you have a nice smile, or I love the way you laugh, or that shade of blue
really brings out the color in your eyes.
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This day got started 19 years ago and according to http://adriennesiouxkoopersmith.blogspot.com/2009/02/from-founder-of-pay-compliment-day-15th.html
- this is how it began:
Adrienne begins: “I was in the right place at the right time when the
Inspiration struck me. Would you like to hear the Story – the Event logical
Formula? It’s quite easy to understand. It’s almost a Fable. I had boarded a
CTA Bus #155 in my neighborhood early one morning. Bus drivers are told to only
pick up riders at the designated stops although some People will run after a
bus, as if in trying to hail a Taxi.
This
was the case. A Woman was half-a-block away from the Stop when the Bus rolled
on past. The wind chill index was nearly zero; it was a bitterly, blustery
February Day, the kind Chicago is well-known for. That’s why we’re thrilled
February is a short month! The Bus Driver saw this frantic woman waving from
his peripheral vision. I was already on board and watching the ‘Action.’ He
immediately stopped the Bus and pulled over so she could hop-on-board.
Delighted he had seen her (in stress), she ran to the Bus that had pulled over,
boarded and thanked the driver profusely. This rare act(ion)saved her both time
and waiting a spell in the severe cold. Who knows what she was hurrying off to?
Perhaps a sick child in a hospital or
another emergency? We will never know but can assume.
Thinking
of all the possibilities, when I got to my Stop and exiting the vehicle, I
merely commented to the Bus Driver: “I’m going to pay you a Compliment. Here it
comes: 'That was really nice of you to stop for that Woman. A really decent
thing to do...'”He listened as he slowed the bus down and seemed genuinely
pleased that I had witnessed that random Gesture of Kindness. Later that day
when in my Studio, that Episode then became the Basis for this HOLIDATE.
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So today, compliment as many people as you can, and
keep it up the rest of the year, not only will it make the recipient feel good,
but you will feel better about giving
someone a smile too.
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