Take the Compliment and Run!

Notebook design by Anne Taintor.

Something happened tonight that hadn't happened in a long time. My five year old little boy fell asleep in my arms while watching a movie. I took a moment to enjoy the moment before carrying him to bed. I know that those moments are very short lived and for one, I won't be able to carry him to bed much longer when he gets heavier. I am practicing living in the moment and appreciating what I have before it's gone.

Whenever I talk to friends, and even to my husband, they often say to me, "You have to blog about that."

Of course when the time comes for me to blog I can't remember a any of those topics. I need to make a note in my blackberry each time that happens. So now that I remembered one thing I have to blog about it.

Thursday night at my meeting I complimented a friend like I often do and she did something that I've noticed she always does. So I pointed it out to her. Almost every time I pay her a compliment she says, "Thank you but..." and she goes on to list some imperfection.

"Why do you do that?" I asked her, "Why can't you just accept the compliment and then bask in its greatness?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. She mentioned that maybe it's because her self esteem is low right now.

We do that. Women that is. We can't just accept the compliment and say, "Thank you!" and then feel fabulous. She agreed and then she suggested that I should blog about it.

This week I am going to practice that. I am going to say, "Thank you!" and I will not follow it up with any type of excuse about my love handles, inner thighs, or double chin. OK, you get the picture. There I go again, admitting "all kinds of things" about myself.

But seriously, take the compliment and run. We all have gifts and talents. We are all unique. We need to celebrate that. We are our own worst critic when we should be our best cheerleader.