When I was 23, or so, just out of college, I was trying to find my place in the world. It was a stressful time for me, and that stress was coming out as pretty severe acne on my face. For a while, my face looked like hamburger. My self-esteem was as low as it had ever been ... I was "frump girl."
Things were beginning to look up, though. I found a "stable" job with health insurance. With the steady income, I would treat myself to a new music CD on pay day. This meant walking down Madison's State St. through the record stores on Friday evening after work.
State St. is always filled with characters. It's a great place for people-watching.
This particular evening, I saw a 1950s throwback. Even on State St., he looked out of place. He looked like James Dean with dark hair, wearing jeans, t-shirt, and leather jacket, with hair greased back. Cool, man. Out of the blue, he said to me : "You're prettier than you think." I said, "Thanks" and kept walking. When I looked back, he was gone.
He wasn't trying to pick me up, or buy me a drink, or anything. He didn't want anything in return. It was just the simple gift of encouragement said to a complete stranger. That was just what I needed to hear at that point to lift my spirits and start healing ... I haven't forgotten him--whoever he was.
We can be Angels for someone else who might need a little lift, a word of encouragement. We can make the world a better place that way ... Were you somebody's Angel today?
Other Angels
Iris video by The Goo Goo Dolls from the movie soundtrack City of Angels.
No comments:
Post a Comment