To think this woman made my day

[Tangled59]

Trying on a dress in zara and came out to look in the mirror. This woman who was also trying stuff on said "Oh my god that dress looks INCREDIBLE on you. Can i just tie the back ties so its done up properly? .... There. Truly it looks fantastic."
This isnt a humble brag btw.

What a wonderful thing to do for someone - just to compliment them and show some kindness.

From now on whenever I think something nice about someone I plan on telling them, even strangers.

This is just so heartwarming.

And reminds me of a time when I was heavily pregnant and going to a black tie do. Felt so ugly, frumpy and self-conscious but as I was coming out of my house a random woman in the street stopped and told me I looked amazing. She’ll never know how much that compliment touched me and stays with me still 3 years later!

I'm a blubbering wreck here, I remember being seated, with two small boys, at a table beside two couples in their mid fifties (who gave us the look of death). I was praying boys would behave and was completely on edge. They paid their bill halfway through our meal and one lady turned back to complement us on our beautifully behaved, polite, happy boys. It made my week.
This morning, shopping in lidl after school drop off, I had no makeup, and feeling rubbish. (My Mum died in March, I am bored with my own misery...) lovely lady stopped me to say, your perfume smells beautiful, what is it? & I love your bag and shoes, It was so kind and really lovely.

I remember when DS was 6 weeks old and some mums with older babies approached me in a cafe to tell me how great I was doing and how in control I looked....I had PND and didn't feel at all in control but it made such a difference to me that I still remember it many years later. A few nice words can make all the difference.

@MadisonAvenue - can you tell me about your hair waver please? It sounds like something I need. I have GHDs and apparently one is meant to be able to use them to curl as well as straighten but not me .

Compliments are the way to go. See someone looking great or doing something kind, call it out! It lifts us all and all our moods get set aside. Go.....

I am forever complimenting random people on shoes etc and then end up having a fabulous conversations with them about a host of other stuff.

I was coming out of the gym very hot and sweaty and a lady said to me 'Wgatever you did in there today, you did great!' I'm still smiling about it weeks later.

I texted a friend to tell her that her little daughter was delightful. Because she is.

I've really made an effort to do more nice things over the last couple of years. As PP said, kindness costs nothing.

I've also started speaking up for people when strangers are talking about them. A couple of times, I've overheard people making comments about a guy who may or may not be trans who dresses in skirts/vest tops which is quite out of the ordinary for where we live, but I remind people that he's not hurting anybody and if he makes him happy then who are we to judge.

I was waiting for a bus once and there was a man wearing jeans and flip flops and generally seemed quite odd. My son commented and a man nearby overheard us and questioned my calling him a gentleman as he seemed a bit odd. When the bus arrived, this flip flop wearing man sat near the back where we were sat and another man with quite obvious learning difficulties sat on the seat infront of him. All the way on our journey until he got off the bus, the man wearing flip flops talked to the other man. He wasn't killing time or humouring him - they were having a real conversation which they both enjoyed very much. It struck me that it might have been a long time since anybody had shown him that sort of kindness and just treated him like a human being. So yes, he might wear flip flops with jeans and appear to be a bit odd, but he is more of a gentleman than the rude man at the bus stop, hands down! Since then, I've tried to be more kind myself and make more time for people no matter how "odd" they appear.

I was literally ready to pop this time last year, last day before I finished for maternity leave (I finished a year ago today!) A woman stopped me in the street when I was (trying) to dash for the train and said "you look lovely, I just had to tell you, you truly are blooming" it was roasting and I felt like shit, her comment did actually pick me up as random as it was. Truth is I probably looked exhausted and like I'd had enough. Funny how it sticks in my mind though a year on

when my mum was in a care home and very near the end of her life I stayed alone in her house and went to sit with her every day from 9.ooam one bright sunny day as I was walking to the home a lady walked past and said to me ;oh, don't you look lovely today' it gave me a glimmer of happiness in such a sad time.

This thread is gorgeous
Really brightened my day reading it

I always compliment people and think it’s really important. It takes 3 seconds to say a nice thing I’ve had a few in teaching, which have really made my day. The nicest ones include:
The day after reports went home to parents, a mum came to find me and hugged me saying ‘thank you so much for what you wrote about my daughter, you’ve really captured her personality, which is so nice to read’
Another parent came to parents evening-I teach all three of her children, who are all very serious, studious, hardworking children. She took my hand and said very seriously ‘you are the favourite teacher of ALL THREE of my children, you are so much fun and they love you’! I’d never met her before and it was just so lovely. Now everytime she sees me she gives me a hug and tells me how great I am
A parent who told me that once she found out I was one of the staff members for the residential school trip that she definitely wanted to send her child on it because she knew then that he would be so well looked after she Also on the same day told me she liked my dress and that I looked really nice. So she’s my favourite school parent ever

This is such a lovely thing to do and I've done it quite a few times over the years!

I was lucky to get it back recently when I was trying a dress on in The White Company. A man was waiting for his wife to try some stuff on and I came out to look in their bigger mirror and he exclaimed "Oh my God, you look amazing!" and got his wife to come out and have a look!

I wasn't intending to buy that day but ended up with a dress I couldn't really afford because of him. My DH thinks he's employed by the company! 😂

I should add, I'm not fond of inspirational quotes, but I put this one on my Instagram a few months ago and try to live by it:

"Throw kindness around like confetti."

shoofly

That's lovely! I love clothes. Unfortunately, I am a very small size, so can't really wear women's clothing that much. But I'm always asking people where they're buying dresses and things. And if I do notice a petite person, I asked them where they buy their clothes. I'm not shy, and I'm very curious. Most people are nice and tell me though.

Ive told this anecdote before, but I was sitting in a depressing garden centre cafe having had a traumatic time with my abusive partner (now long ex thank god), my ds was 3 and my dd was a few weeks old. I was knackered, done in, and felt a frazzled failure.

We finished our lunch, and a very elderly lady at the next table caught my eye and told me I must be a wonderful mother as my dc were beautiful and so well behaved. I almost cried, it was so kind, and I remember the twinkle in that lady's eyes today.

We were also on a plane to Gran Canaria a few years ago, my dc's first flight. They were the only children on the whole plane amazingly enough. My poor dd had a violent tummy upset just before we got on and had to keep asking me to take her to the loo throughout the whole flight. It was so awful for her. She was four at the time. She didn't complain once and my ds (7) sat in his seat colouring in and sucking sweets all the way there.

As we were getting off a lady behind us nodded at me and said they hadn't been looking forward to the flight as they were sitting near children (!!) but they had realised how foolish they were and it had taught them a lesson as my two dc were apparently the best behaved children they had ever encountered. Boy I felt good about that!

That's lovely, OP. I hope you bought the dress and wear it with pride and happiness.

When I was young (about 22) and slim (those were the days) I remember waiting in the bus station on the way home from work. I had a very skinny, black polar neck on and a short, deep green skirt with black tights and a pair of heels. An old lady said to me that I looked lovely and he missed girls wearing skirts!

When I was about 8 a lady stopped my Mum in the street to complement my (then) jet black hair tied up in white ribbons.

They were two compliments I’ve been paid in my life that I hadn’t thought about in years but will never forget.

Back in March I was at a black tie event in a fancy hotel, and needed to nip to reception to ask something. A lady who was with her husband and kids (hotel guests, unrelated to the event I was at) walked over to me and said something along the lines of "that dress looks stunning on you". I floated back to the event, and still smile when I think of her kindness.

I wouldn't at all be surprised if she is a MNer, so if you were at the De Vere Beaumont Estate at the end of March and paid a compliment to someone in a blue glittery lace cocktail dress: you are wonderful!

I do try and pay compliments to people. A lady at my local post office has the most beautifully manicured nails. I noticed it a few times and never said anything, but one day made the point of telling her that her nails always looked amazing.

A little kindness often goes a very long way.

Oh! Oh! I do this and always worry a little bit I must seem odd. Im glad it makes some people happy

This is why I love drunken chats in womens toilets, full of compliments and bigging each other up It's great when it happens without alcohol involved!

At my lowest, on way to an for assessment for mental health help, I was feeling so awful I felt like I was too ugly to be outdoors. A young woman stopped to ask me where I'd bought my skirt because it was beautiful. It was so perfectly timed and just what I needed, a little bit of kind interaction.

Not long after I was on a long bus route with my 2 year old to visit a divorce lawyer when an old man - who looked like he didn't have much money - gave DS a mars bar from his bag of groceries. It was so touching. DS (who had never had a mars bar and hasn't since!!) spent the whole journey saying mmm! over and over. The old fellow was absolutely beaming.

I encountered many little acts of kindness during that time. I was very alone - literally knew no one where I lived and I survived on these little moments.

When I was a teen with blemished skin and zero confidence I was in boots with a friend picking out some new face cream. A girl who must have been in her early teens turned to me and looked at me, and said ‘you have beautiful skin’. I was so taken aback as I was so self conscious of my spots but I still remember those kind words.

For various reasons I have struggled with low self-esteem for years. I realised in my 20s that it was essential I started to take compliments instead of being negative when I received them. I also decided to give compliments freely. We were on holiday at Easter and a lady was wearing a stunning maxi dress. I decided to tell her! DH was cringeing but she looked delighted with the compliment.

Lovely thread to read first thing so thank you OP!