People Watcher or Smile Maker?
Who likes to people watch? You know, you have some time on your hands, or possibly it's just a quick minute but you're waiting at the airport, in line at the grocery, at the park or out for the evening.....you watch for a while and then you spot someone that sticks out. Not because they are doing something weird (ok so those people DO stick out!), but what they are wearing catches your eye- in a good way. They look put together, fashionable, unique - and you say WOW! Do you admire from afar or are you the bold type that lets the person know they look great in "that color", beautiful wearing a hat, their jewelry is just perfect, or their outfit is so stylish?
My Mother, herself a beautiful lady inside and out, used to embarrass me to death when we were out shopping! I'd cringe whenever she would approach an unknown person and just start up a conversation with them, always first admiring something they were wearing! As a kid, I'd patiently wait, quietly entertaining myself, because kids were seen not heard and anything else was unacceptable, while Mother made a sweet comment that always seemed to turn into an hour long conversation! Of course, being a kid, it always seemed like she took FOREVER! But the older I became, I found that I myself enjoyed the feeling of some stranger approaching ordinary me and saying something sweet. I realized what power words can have....good and bad.
It saddens me that some use their words to hurt, ridicule or spread lies. I've seen what ill words can do to a person. Maybe some can hide their feelings or are hardened by the constant infliction of verbal pain, but deep inside a person, words matter, YOUR words matter! And thus, I try, I mean really try, to have words come out of my mouth, that I'd want to hear others say to me.
And now I have to laugh, because......wait for it.......wait for it......I have become like my Mother! There I said it! Who knew? I went through those fazes... when I was young, I used watch her in awe, as she was a lady of elegance with the way she talked, walked and dressed (usually! but more on that another time!) Then those awkward teenage years, I wanted to distance myself from my parents, because they were just weird (in my young uneducated eyes) But as an adult I was employed by my parents for quite a number of years, working daily along side them learning and enjoying becoming my own person......but YES, you probably guessed it, I've now taken over the responsibility of embarrassing my kids, by approaching some unknown, unsuspecting individual and commenting about something they are wearing or how they look! "I just love your earrings! Where did you get them?"; "You look so good in peach!"; "I love your hair!"......
The transformation that happens to generally most people who are given a compliment - a true compliment, from an unknown person is amazing! You see their face light up, some can't believe that an utter stranger even spoke to them, who saw them among the sea of others, sought them out and they heard beautiful words about themselves! I LOVE this look! A simple act that may have been the only bright spot in a persons day- and it came from your mouth! Your words, your simple gesture, your kindness, can make all the difference in another persons life. BUT there is another person who benefits from all of these things that you do, and that is you! Yes, you! I don't do or say nice things however for my benefit, well I do to some degree, but rather for the benefit of results. I don't like how I feel when I'm mad, get in an argument or think all doom and gloom. I much rather have a happy outlook, see the beauty in people and things around me and look for the next open door rather than always seeing the doors that closed. I can tell you I'm not happy 24/7 but I strive to be, because I thrive on a heart that is full of love!
So if you're that person that just likes to watch people....try something new! BE BOLD! and say something nice to an utter stranger. It doesn't have to be an hour conversation (at first anyway -LOL!) but it has to be meaningful. You can even just yell it from across the parking lot to start with, but start! I'm sure you'll see "that look", that joy, the bright spot, if even for a moment, you created. The lasting results in that persons life, you will never know, but you will start to see them in yours and man does it feel good! And who knows, where a simple, easy to do gesture of kind words will lead you! It will definitely help to make you and our world a better place. What, my friend, is there not to love about that?!!
Blessings- Ruth