It happened like this
On a crisp early morning around the lake, I was jogging steadily. Not at lightning speed, just fast enough to sustain the momentum and the stamina. Some folk were doing the same thing except they were going in the opposite direction so we crossed paths twice.
On the second time one of them called out very calmly to my breathlessness “Good job!” I was ecstatic.
For one thing I didn’t think I was doing that great a job. It was one of those mornings when it was just a hard slog and the fugue of the night was stubbornly refusing to lift. So to have a total stranger unexpectedly and without any prompt shout a couple of words of encouragement was quite a coup.
And therein lies the potency of their little greeting. That it was an unexpected surprise from an unexpected person. These fortuitous dollops of sugar from strangers can mean so much to so many and it costs so little. But deeper again, it got me thinking that often we don’t realise how talented or persistent or dogged or lovely we truly are. Nor do we understand our potential until someone else calls our attention to our gifts.
Why is that?
Why are we blinkered in our perception of ourselves? If only we could see ourselves as others see us. Then we could fix some of our ugly bits and rejoice in the enchanting talents. And, I suspect, that we are more acutely aware of the minuscule unglamorous blemishes and blinkered to our attractive parts. We should look out for these little opportunities to sprinkle some sparkle especially to the stranger on crisp mornings around Lake Hamilton.
What might happen in our community and to ourselves if we took these moments and encouraged each other? “Good job!”