I've been mulling this over for a couple weeks now ever since a brief interaction with a woman at a grocery store near my home.
I paused at the end of an isle to allow her to pass in front of me and I smiled as she walked by. She said thank you for allowing her to go first, and then said, "oh, you have a nice smile thank you for smiling at me." I'd put her in her late 40s or perhaps early 50s, a notably heavyset and quite attractive as well.
I certainly didn't expect her to be complimentary of my smile so I in turn thanked her for her kind words and we both went on our way. A few minutes later we both wound up walking out of the store at the same time and as we did she turned to me and thanked me again for smiling at her and that it was nice to get a pleasant smile instead of a look of disapproval. I just laughed and said it was easy to smile at an attractive woman (cheesy, yes, but I never have been the most smooth operator). This piqued her curiosity and we chatted for a few minutes at the trunk of my car and I shared with her both the kind of preference I've long had and showed her a couple pictures of my wife on my phone. She said it made her feel so good to have someone just be nice to her and compliment her appearance and that it really made her day.
And that all just started over a smile that I'd have given to anyone at that moment. And anyone else may not have even noticed and continued on his or her way and that would have been okay. But that day it was that woman and it seemed to make a difference for her.
So I've pondered this a while now, even before my interaction with the woman at the grocery store. I am more likely to pay a compliment to an overweight woman than a lean one or offer words of encouragement and help an overweight guy at the gym than one who clearly doesn't need my help. I generally try to treat everyone decently but find myself giving (for lack of a better term) preferential treatment to people who may not be getting it anywhere else.
So here's my goal for this thread. I want to hear everyone else's stories. What do you do as you interact with people that may make their day a little better? I don't open this up as an opportunity for us to beat our chests about how great we are but to share with each other and encourage each other, as well as give ideas on ways to just be better human beings day to day. And it doesn't have to be limited to what you've done to make a plus size person's day, though I personally will probably focus on those types of interactions. So please, everyone, share your stories!
I hope to hear from a whole bunch of you!
I paused at the end of an isle to allow her to pass in front of me and I smiled as she walked by. She said thank you for allowing her to go first, and then said, "oh, you have a nice smile thank you for smiling at me." I'd put her in her late 40s or perhaps early 50s, a notably heavyset and quite attractive as well.
I certainly didn't expect her to be complimentary of my smile so I in turn thanked her for her kind words and we both went on our way. A few minutes later we both wound up walking out of the store at the same time and as we did she turned to me and thanked me again for smiling at her and that it was nice to get a pleasant smile instead of a look of disapproval. I just laughed and said it was easy to smile at an attractive woman (cheesy, yes, but I never have been the most smooth operator). This piqued her curiosity and we chatted for a few minutes at the trunk of my car and I shared with her both the kind of preference I've long had and showed her a couple pictures of my wife on my phone. She said it made her feel so good to have someone just be nice to her and compliment her appearance and that it really made her day.
And that all just started over a smile that I'd have given to anyone at that moment. And anyone else may not have even noticed and continued on his or her way and that would have been okay. But that day it was that woman and it seemed to make a difference for her.
So I've pondered this a while now, even before my interaction with the woman at the grocery store. I am more likely to pay a compliment to an overweight woman than a lean one or offer words of encouragement and help an overweight guy at the gym than one who clearly doesn't need my help. I generally try to treat everyone decently but find myself giving (for lack of a better term) preferential treatment to people who may not be getting it anywhere else.
So here's my goal for this thread. I want to hear everyone else's stories. What do you do as you interact with people that may make their day a little better? I don't open this up as an opportunity for us to beat our chests about how great we are but to share with each other and encourage each other, as well as give ideas on ways to just be better human beings day to day. And it doesn't have to be limited to what you've done to make a plus size person's day, though I personally will probably focus on those types of interactions. So please, everyone, share your stories!
I hope to hear from a whole bunch of you!
