Something happened this evening and I’ve struggled a bit whether to mention or not, but here we are.
I am one, someone with major social anxiety, and two, who absolutely hates the ambivalence and cruelty that has become so normal.
My absolute preference is to avoid humans, but I know that isn’t healthy, or helpful, and so I have made a rule of sorts for myself that when I do go out I will find one person to say hello, something positive, something encouraging to.
It is absolutely not easy. But I’ve done it and met some beautiful humans who end up sharing some of their story and I leave grateful I was brave. Grateful that this one day I saw and felt seen.
Today, I’m in a local store it was crazy crowded and my anxiety awful, but I reminded myself I needed to find someone. And so I did. A lovely older lady who had this shirt on that just made her complexion glow. She seemed distracted, stressed, and so I stopped and said, I love that sweater, it looks beautiful on you.
(It’s super hard to give specific compliments to strangers, so I typically stick with I love those shoes, that shirt, great job mama, whatever).
She kinda snickered and talked with the person with her about it being weird.
At first, I kinda spiraled, but then I thought how right she was. Yes, kindness, acknowledgment, communication are weird. It’s weird but doesnt mean it should be.
And so my hope for this person is that today, and every day after, she is surrounded by people who see her, who encourage her, who don’t let her forget that in the midst of so much darkness, goodness exists.
