Compliments from a Stranger

I was wearing the bare minimum of make-up.  I had not played up my best feature, I had not applied lip color or blush or concealer or foundation.  I simply wore powder.  My hair was twisted into a messy knot on the top of my head and hadn’t been washed in days.  The last thing I expected to hear from the salesclerk as she was ringing me up was “you are so pretty.”  She said it breathlessly and shyly as though she shouldn’t say it all.  But she did and I heard her and I wanted to cry she made me so happy by uttering those words to me-a complete stranger.

I haven’t been feeling very pretty lately…well, in a long time.  And to have a complete stranger give me such a nice compliment, something I needed to hear-and needed to hear from someone who doesn’t know me-put a little pep in my step.  Thank you, stranger.