The compliment…

I had just stepped into the elevator on the way up to see my doctor for a check up, when a petite elderly lady followed me into the car. She was bracing herself on her walker.   The elevator was empty except for the two of us.

“Two please,”  she said.

I pushed the button for the second floor and smiled at her.  When she smiled back at me, I noticed her eyes.  Sky blue – like my late mother’s, and her eyes were smiling.  A genuine smile.  Her hair was styled in soft white curls that looked like maybe they had just grown back in with a few patches of her scalp still visible.  I wondered if she had been battling cancer.  She was wearing a soft pink blouse and navy pants.  She looked quite stylish.  I was reminded, once again, of how much I had missed having a grandmother that I knew.  My mother’s parents died when I was a small child.  My father’s parents died before I was born.  Somehow, all my life I had adopted elderly people, starting as a young teenager.

I turned my back to her to watch the elevator number panel.

“Your hair is so very pretty,”  she said and then smiled again as I turned around.  Again, a smile that reached her eyes.

“Why, thank you!”  I replied.  “I just had it cut this week.”

“I used to wear my hair like that when I was your age,”  she said wistfully.  “And I miss that.”

Before I had time to compliment her on her soft white curls, the elevator door opened and she got out.

Just a brief moment in time…and a sincere compliment.

Somehow, the rest of the day seemed a little brighter.  It made me realize that I need to compliment others more.  Much like a physical hug does, I realized that the interaction of a compliment – both giving and receiving – releases endorphins or serotonin, the “feel-good” chemical.

I promised myself I would work on being the giver of sincere compliments more often… 

3 Comments

  • Deborah Zuniga

    I would like to give compliments, but I usually think them through and am afraid I’ll say the wrong thing. I usually let the opportunity pass by. I’m glad I read this today and I will try and be the giver of sincere compliments too!

  • Janet

    Neat story! That’s why, if I’m thinking something nice about someone, I try to make a point of telling them. I figure if I’m already thinking it, why not share it and perhaps brighten someone’s day?

  • Kathleen

    Hello Dianne,
    I like to stop by your blog every so often and just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed my visit today. Reading this post made me stop and comment. It struck a chord with me. So often the moment passes when a compliment could be paid but I too am going to make more of an effort to verbalize what I’m thinking – as long as it’s complimentary that is!
    Kathleen.

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