Well, it has been a long week around here. Finnley seemed to get sick out of the blue with a head and chest cold. Each day she got progressively worse. For almost 5 days she barely ate (a bite of peanut butter toast here, a goldfish cracker there). She didn't take a sippy cup of milk for at least 3 days. For 4 nights or more there was wakefulness, with one night finding Finn crying almost every hour on the hour. Yesterday was the culmination of the bug, and it forced my little girl to be a puddle of her normal self. She took a two hour morning nap in her crib, and then she spent the rest of the day nestled on me on the couch in some random cuddly fashion. She didn't even want me to put her down so I could go to the bathroom. When I did (because, well...I had to go!), she cried. Those tears were momentarily heartbreaking.
Today we started anew. There was a full night of sleep for everyone, thankfully. And, even though Finnley is still sick...she is much happier and alert. She has finally started eating again, and she even took a little milk this morning. There was playing to be done, and I reveled in the welcomed absence of near constant whimpering.
To take advantage of this "better day", Finnley and I ventured out to Barnes and Noble. There was no scheduled story time today, so I knew that the children's area wouldn't be overly crowded. I imbibed in my hardly indulgent decaf skinny cinnamon dolce' latte' while Finnley ran around "shopping". We read some books and played some hide-and-seek amongst the book shelves.
On our way over to the children's area, we had approached a tall, well-dressed black woman donning the most fun and stylish of winter hats. It was a wool, fleece-lined ear flap hat decorated with faux fur trimmings, and it folded up and tied together on top. Not everyone would pick this hat to wear, nor could everyone get away with it...but she did, and she did it well. Most days I would just think "wow, what a cool hat" to myself and continue to walk on by. Today, though...I didn't. I chose to go right up to this woman and tell her what a magnificent hat she had on, and that I just loved it. I am glad I did. She instantly lit up, told me where she had purchased it (Marshall's, Marshall's, Marshall's), and also expressed to me that I had made her day.
So, why is it that we normally keep these thoughts to ourselves? Are we afraid to go up to strangers? Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we don't care to share our thoughts, no matter how kind they might be? I'm not sure. I would like to make a more consistent practice of opening up, even to perfectly random strangers, if I feel that I have something that is potentially worth sharing. Why not? If every once in awhile I can make someone's day by doing so, I think it is totally worth the small effort.
What have you done to compliment someone recently...or have you "paid it forward" in another way? Maybe this post will give you thought to do so if you haven't. Regardless, try to be more conscious about not just thinking things, but also saying them. It might leave you feeling just as good as you made someone else feel.
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