My mum went to some or other women’s thing the other day. She came home and told us about how everybody had been encouraged to say something nice to a random stranger before they all settled down for the day.
I asked her what she meant by “random stranger”. Was she talking about going up to somebody in the street or what?
“Don’t be silly Sibo,” she replied tartly. “Why would I just go up to a person in the street and say something nice? They were talking about approaching somebody at the gathering that you didn’t know. It was a safe space. The person was not going to think you were a demented lunatic for arbitrarily accosting them.”
“Aww rats!” I replied, “So I can’t just go up to anybody on the street and say ‘Hey! I love your skirt.’”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Mom spluttered in outrage. “That would not be safe!”
Hmmm… I wasn’t so sure I agreed with her, but she had a point about safety and kids approaching strangers.
So I started thinking and came up with a good idea for Women’s month—August!
So! Here’s the plan people… every morning, pick a lady / girl at school or work—or even on the bus, train or taxi if you see them regularly, and say something nice.
Here are some examples to get you started:
- “You look nice today.”
- “Oohh – I love your nails!”
- “That’s a gorgeous dress/skirt/bag.”
- “Your hair looks fabulous!”
But it has to be genuine. You can’t say “Love that hairstyle” and then go snigger because you actually think it looks weird. That’s not being kind. That’s being horrible. Horrible is nasty—don’t do it.
If you really can’t think of something lovely to say – just smile. Smiles work too.
All the bitchiness that goes on is so tiring. People (females especially) are always judging instead of supporting each other. Enough! The world is messed up enough without us making it worse.
Be nice people. Be kinder to one another. One really doesn’t know what the impact is of a few kind words on another person. It could totally brighten their day and make them feel good. How many times has it happened to you? Somebody says something nice and you think… Oh wow. That’s so great to hear.
Pay it forward people – in nice words!
Sibo
xxxx