I had just dropped off ZuZu at Dogtopia (doggie day care) and was walking away when one of the staff popped his head out of the door and called out to me, “You just won the dog parent fall fashion award! That outfit looks great!”
Before that comment, I’d been brooding about my first clients; a troubled couple, tricky to wrangle in sessions. My head was down, brow furrowed, and brain churning. But this guy, coming after me to give me a compliment, changed my whole energy that morning!
I don’t know about you, but life in our wide world has felt really, really heavy lately. And many of my clients are swimming in the middle of it; existentially distressed, financially worried, and relationally strained. It can pull on one’s mood. But a small act of kindness…someone making a little effort to give a compliment, what a lift!
My husband’s reaction to this little story added another lift. He said, “dog-parent is kind of a low bar, don’t you think?”. Hilarious and made me giggle. Although, I take issue at the insult to the fashions sensibilities of dog parents!
Another recent lift….at work, a colleague demonstrated how badly her new sneakers squeaked when she walked, leaving those of us hearing it in stitches. What a wonderful feeling to laugh!
Why not go out of your way this week to give someone a compliment? Or share something funny? We can give each other a lift even if we disagree about whether the current wide world is off or on track!