I had the very blessed honor of living with a beautiful soul a few years ago. This was at a time in my life where I wasn’t really interested in having to live with someone, but the arrangement offered several advantages to both of us so we signed on the dotted line so to speak. Our schedules made it really hard to get sick of one another, but the more time I spent with this lovely lady the more difficult it became to ever tire of her company. She was always all smiles, her encouraging spirit was contagious, and her thoughtful conversation was always balanced with a healthy dose of humor to keep us laughing through even the most arduous of conversational topics.
As we continued to get to know one another on a deeper level I was always amazed how she could reflect on some of her life experiences with such positivity and acceptance. Once our social circles grew and we spent more time together I was able to witness her interactions with more people than just myself. Her true nature always left a lasting impression on people as she had this beautiful gift of authentically making people feel good about themselves. While she was constantly offering compliments and uplifting comments to people I found myself up in my head being judgmental–questioning how she could possibly find these positive sentiments when I had a short list of very unbecoming characteristics I chose to focus on with the same people she was complimenting. (Since this experience I have read “Loving What Is” by Byron Katie which offers insight to what these negative feelings about others is truly revealing to us about ourselves. I will save the specifics for a different post, but if you’re dying to learn more please research or read the book.)
This roommate became one of the greatest blessings in disguise I have had in life. Being exposed to her perspective of the world and people around her played a large role in my own personal growth of being able to always see the good in others. For many, many years I have said there is always positive in any situation; sometimes you just have to look harder to find it. I failed to apply this philosophy to people, but with seeing my roommate always speak life into others it was proof this can truly be mastered. I guarantee people never forgot how she made them feel. I aspire to have the same effect on those I come into contact with each day as I was gently reminded of the profound effect we can have by how we make others feel again recently. I spent last weekend with a lovely woman who welcomed me as her own. I felt on top of the world and realized it was no small coincidence I have had this gift modeled for me by more than one person. It’s just one small way of shining some sun into what can sometimes be a dark world. May you cast your bright and invigorating rays upon all you encounter this week! Thanks for stopping by!
