Older women were raised not to boast, except maybe about our grandchildren. We have a tough time accepting compliments. Instead of a simple, “Thank you,” the admirer hears a litany of reasons why the compliment is undeserved. For example, when someone says, “That’s a pretty dress. Is it new?”
The ‘old chestnut’ answer was. “This old thing?”
The other day, I met Pat while I was walking in Saelens Memorial Park. We often strolled at the same time and when we did, we sat down on a bench and visited. During our conversation, she commented, “While we were young, we weren’t too smart.”
I disagreed and responded, “I’ve always been smart.” I considered it something that I was given–not something I had anything to do with.
When I repeated our conversation to my husband, he said, “How could you say that?”
I answered, “I was just being truthful.”
Our conversation reminded me of Walter Brennan, the character actor who starred as the grandfather in “The Guns of Will Sonnet,” an 1890’s Western that ran on TV from 1967-1969. His, “no brag, just fact” became a catch phrase and stuck in my mind.
When I joined a writers’ group that critiqued one another’s work in progress, I learned to also say, “Thank you,” when someone gave constructive criticism about a piece I’d written. Thinking things over later, I usually took the advice to heart.
Since the publishing of my memoir, “The View from a Midwest Wheel,” I’ve had more opportunities to receive compliments. I continue to think “no brag, just fact,” but out loud I simply say, “Thank you.”
What is your usual response to a compliment?