Whistle Away
Taking a compliment is not something most of us do easily. Why not? When did we lose this ability to accept positive feedback from others. We haven’t stopped seeking it, yet when it is provided we shy away, “No, no, not really. Maybe if I….”
My two year old has no problem accepting praise. “I colored on the paper, ” loud applause please. “I jumped off the bottom step,” whoop it up Mommie! “I peed on the potty,” now let’s see that standing ovation. But if someone says to me, “You look nice today,” or “You ran so well today,” I immediately find myself belittling the compliment by excusing myself from not looking nicer or running faster or I look at my toes and shrug.
My mother also knows how to take a compliment. She will look you in the eye and say, “Why thank you.” When I was sixteen and running the greenbelts in Texas, I would sometimes receive unwanted whistles or hoots as I passed men at work. I despised this. It made me self conscious. Grumpily I came home to whine at my mom about these rude men who interrupted my run.
She laughed and tossed her hair back, “Oh honey, don’t worry about when they whistle, WORRY when they stop!”
Oh.
No one has whistled in a long time. But if they ever do again here we go in advance, “Why THANK YOU!”
[...] I reminded myself of Drea’s comments the other day. Being mentioned at all is a [...]
Why - Thank you! « George’s Meanderings said this on June 30, 2008 at 3:42 am |