beautiful

so i got the best compliment yesterday. it was the best because it was so sincere. i went to the mall after my soccer game, and im dressed in a black wife-beater tank top, my soccer shorts, my ankle's all taped up, theres dried blood on my elbow, and a i have a bruise so defined on my shin that you can see where the veins broke and the blood drained down my leg. gross. i know. what can i say, it was a rough game.
anyways, so im desperate to find these shoes and i ask these two ladies if they carry them even though they are not out on the floor, and she brings me the only two pairs she has left, one of them being my size, thank heavens. and im trying on these cute little tan shoes, with my smelly sweaty soccer gear still half on, and one of the ladies says to me, "wow, you have a beautiful body." i look up and im thinking, lady, im gonna buy the shoes, theres no need to bribe me. and i say " um, are you serious? i look horrible." and i stick my legs out so she can see all the cuts and bruises. "she says, no seriously, even your arms are so toned, what kind of athlete are you?" and then some guy coworker comes over and she says "look at her body isnt it beautiful?" at this point not only am i taken back that someone thinks im beautiful but that they are so determined to convince me of it that they have brought other people over to discuss it.
so then we start talking about soccer, and athletes and this guy starts talking about how he tried so hard to be a good athlete when he was younger, but all the soccer players were always better runners than him, even though they were smokers. (this is by far the strangest and best conversation i think i have ever been in with three strangers.) so needless to say these people have made my day twice over, and i thank the lady that got me my shoes, and i track down the lady that said i was beautiful to thank her for the wonderful compliment, that that was so sweet. i told her this, but i wonder if she knows how much it meant to me?
with all the jealousy and competition there is these days not only with men vs. women but more women trying to look better than the other and models, eating disorders, etc, i think its about time that we appreciate things about one another instead of competing or being jealous. imagine that. one little compliment from a stranger just made my day that much better. think about that the next time you think something nice about someone. if you tell them, it just might make their day too. : )