A Few Simple Words

I'm comparing myself to you. Right now. I am. You're beautiful and perfect in every way. Seriously. I'm a lump of a mess on the couch who can't seem to "get" the parenting thing, who never manages to put together a single outfit that looks decent outside of the department store dressing room, who wishes she was someone else at times.

But there was that one time when I heard a few simple words. So today I'm wearing a red sweater. My closet is jam-packed with black and shades of black. Sometimes I venture into navy and once in a great while you'll see a splash of Go Big Red red. But mostly I stick to black... you know, it's slimming and all. But today I threw on that red sweater intentionally because one week ago a friend said a few simple words as she gathered one of my most precious possessions into her ride and carted her to school as she does each and every school day. She said to me, "You look good in that red sweater. I like that on you."

Since that brief and likely unmemorable (for her) moment, I've been struck by the idea that I might look good in red. This comment came only days after I waved goodbye and glimpsed my girlfriend's pink tshirt through the car window as she backed out, thinking how cute she always always always looks, only to see myself in the storm door wearing grey shorts and a... you guessed it, black tshirt. Yes, I love my hubby and am proud that he was a college rugby player back in the day, but I promptly changed out of that shirt and put on a Go Big Red red shirt that morning. Because I realized I was boring boring boring in black. Ugh. Boring.

See how that all came about? Just a few simple words in the driveway one morning. "You look cute in that! I like that red sweater on you!" How simple. How mind-numbingly easy. Yet each and every day we miss opportunities to offer compliments. Today I embark on a journey of compliments. Encouragement and praise. Uplifting words and phrases.

Some people are born with the gift of offering compliments easily and without consideration. It's automatic. It's genuine and automatic. I'm not one of those people, but I'm on a mission to become one. I want to be the person you can't wait to run into because I'll have something nice and beautiful to say to you. Words of affirmation that make you feel good about your wardrobe choice, how you did your hair today, how fit you are looking, how wonderful your children are... words that lift you up and put a smile on your face. Words that will brighten your day and stick with you for days to come. Words that you can cherish for at least a few moments if not hours or days or even years.

I want to be there for you with a  few simple words. So here's to today being my Red Sweater Day!