It was Wednesday afternoon, and I had myself locked in Starbucks with a hazelnut iced coffee, cramming for an exam I had the next day. It had been an awfully busy week filled with projects and exams galore, so needless to say I was pretty stressed out. About midway through studying I was getting to the bored-out-of-my-mind stage, so of course what better way to distract myself than to people watch, right?
I noticed a girl fixing her drink nearby my table and she had the cutest outfit on, so with a smile I took a moment and complimented her on it. She instantly smiled back, expressed her thanks, we exchanged a few more words and then she proceeded to take a seat at a table behind me.
A short while later we both noticed a girl walk in with a cute outfit on as well – she had paired a light denim jacket with a darker wash that was fabulous – so we got to talking about how great it looked on her, and pretty soon we were talking about hairstyles, school, dream jobs, high school years, everything. We talked for at least 45 minutes. We both took some time out of our busy lives to meet someone new. To me, this was the most rewarding thing that I had done all week. Not studying, not getting an A on my project, but meeting this bubbly girl named Dani.
This simple interaction made me realize that sometimes in life you’ve just got to stop and smell the roses. Appreciate the people and things around you. Not to sound cynical, but this really sparked my hope in humanity again. Meeting this smart, bubbly person made my day, and I hope it made hers as well. There are some great hearts out there.
So Her Campusers – this is my challenge for you. This week, I want you to adopt one of the things I do – try give out at least 3 compliments to strangers a day. Whether it’s on their shoes, hair, drink order at Starbucks, you name it. It’s a great way to make someone’s day, how rewarding is that? This week proved to me why I do it.
I’ve never taken candy from a stranger, but coffee with one was pretty nice.
Spread the love,
YGBFF Justin.
P.S. Advice questions – send me a totally anonymous question at youfavoritegay@gmail.com! I would love to hear from you!