On Compliments

When I was a missionary in Armenia, I would constantly compliment people I met.

"I LOVE your hat!"

"What a pretty scarf!"

"Your eyes are so pretty!"

To be fair, since I was just learning Armenian, it was probably more like:

"Your hat much pretty me!"

"Scarf very nice!"

"Eyes very pretty you!"

But the sentiment still probably came across.

I feel like, sometimes, we hold back praise because we're afraid of someone reacting poorly or strangely.

I even remember dating a guy who told me it was weird to give compliments to strangers, and that "I'd grow out of it".

Guess what?

I haven't.

I STILL think that, even if someone thinks I'm weird, or hitting on them, or unbalanced, I'm going to tell them that I think their pants are cute. Or that their hair color flatters their skin. Or that their earings are just to die for!

Why do I persist, you may ask?

Because that tiny, itsy, bitsy, teeny act of just speaking your mind  can change the course of a person's day.

Because it is almost no effort at all - you thought it, so say it!

And because, although this sounds selfish, if someone thought something nice about me, I wish they'd tell me.

Too many times, we look at ourselves and see only what should change. We don't notice how our eyes light up when we laugh, or that that salmon colored scarf makes us look SO BEAUTIFUL (I'm looking at you, Lauren!). Too many times, we just see the same old face, the same old hands, the same old flaws. And we miss the little things that make each one of us so lovely.

So here's a challenge for you: get out of your comfort zone, and speak your mind! Even if you're not comfortable telling a perfect stranger that her eyes are a gorgeous color, tell a friend. Or a family member. Tell them the little things you love about them. Tell them they look SO GOOD in those boots. Or those jeans make their butt look nice.*

Because, in the end, people like feeling appreciated.

And, at least in the case of strangers, who cares if they think you're weird? You'll probably never see them again.

*I would not recommend telling a perfect stranger that their butt looks nice. Side story: one time, when I was 18, a girl at church had 2 buns on the side of her head, almost Princess Leia style. She and I were acquaintances, and without thinking of the double meaning in the statement, I asked her if I could poke her buns.

It took me a few minutes to realize why she had moved seats to get away from me. :-)