Compliments
I remember every unusual compliment I've ever gotten. I'm not talking the run of the mill stuff like, "You look nice today." People say things like that whether or not they mean it. Maybe they don't know what else to say or maybe it's a conversation starter. Or in the case of men, they're flirting. Those types of compliments are a dime a dozen. It's the UNUSUAL ones I remember.
The Atypical Compliment
I remember the old lady that stopped us in a gift shop at the beach to marvel at how long my eyelashes were. I was probably eight. I remember my seventh-grade classmate Rodney that remarked that I was ALWAYS smiling. He then went on to tell me that my lips were smaller since I had gotten my braces off the day before. I remember the preacher's son, Patrick who looked at me in our high school parking lot before school one day and said that he'd never seen a brighter smile than mine. I was dating a retired chef named Jerry a few years ago who had been married to a woman who was a Mensa member and it floored me when he told me that I was "scary smart sometimes." A more recent compliment came from Wanda at church who had asked about how my kids were doing. When I was done reciting all the things my about-to-graduate-college daughter had been busy doing: classes, Head RA, internships, job interviews, etc... she said, "So she's just like her Mama." That one left me speechless. I know I looked confused as I contemplated that. "No," I thought. "She's nothing like me. She's wonderful."
I've found that people rarely see themselves as other people see them. It probably goes back to school days when kids are so mean towards one another. I once told a customer whose sister was my high-school classmate that she was a sweet girl. He said, "Really? I never thought so." I kept my mouth shut as I thought, "You're absolutely right. Your sister was actually a terrible person and could've starred in the movie Mean Girls." I was trying to be nice. Wouldn't it be great if we all sent our children out into the world with the intent to make someone's day better each and every day? If instead of them getting in their little cliques to trash talk others, they got together to make some classmate's life better, even if it's just by giving them a sincere compliment? In high-school you don't think of these things until someone who used to sit in the back of the class, always looking like he could use a shower and a friend stops showing up at school and will never show up anywhere again.
The Best Compliment I Ever Got
Last weekend, I was standing at the stove fixing Judy's vegetables for the week. We were cutting up and laughing, Unk and I picking on her a little but very good-naturedly, just trying to get her laughing even more when she suddenly put her arms around me and still laughing said, "I'm so glad I get to spend my final days or weeks with you. I know we're having so much more fun!" I didn't burst out crying as I would've liked but it took a moment to compose myself before I could speak. Those moments are becoming more frequent these days. It's not the shopping and cooking that's hard. Yes, it gets physically demanding but it's the staying strong for her while she's suffering that's the hard part. She's gone from having good days and bad days to having good hours and bad hours. Yesterday they went to tour the local Hospice facility. I think it really helped for them to see that there's help for them-the medical stuff that Unk and I can't provide. One of my closest friends, Lisa has worked at a local hospice for years and told me that contrary to what people believe, once Hospice is called in, studies have shown that patients live longer and with a better quality of life. Alright, enough of the sad stuff. Let's get to Judy's favorite coleslaw recipe. She likes fried shrimp every weekend with this slaw.
Jacci's Healthy Coleslaw
- 1 bag of coleslaw mix (I use Fresh Express with the dressing in a little pouch in the bag)
- 2 dashes low sodium Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (Google it. It's good for you)
- several turns of FRESH GROUND pepper. (It helps your body absorb the turmeric)
- 2 little packets of Splenda Naturals or Truvia
- 1/2 of one of those little bags of sliced almonds you can find in your grocery's bake isle. Or a handful out of that big bag you buy at Sam's Club.
To any Pinterest users out there... I played with this until I got it exactly how she likes it. Don't try to get more creative and add things like celery seed or dill and then give it a low rating. You have no idea how rude it is for complete strangers to give a low Pinterest rating to someone's original recipe but to then go on to tell what they changed when they made it. It's a pet peeve of mine. Don't be a Mean Girl. Rate the original and THEN tweak it to your heart's desire the next time.
Happy Eating!
XOXO,
Jac
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