The Greatest Compliment
I am just crowing and glowing over a compliment that I received this weekend. So, I'm going to brag a bit. I hope you don't mind.
A friend of mine has a teenage daughter who has expressed an interest in being like me. She probably doesn't want my thighs or the naturally curly hair. No. She admires my quick wit and my way with words. That is so flattering I can't even come up with the words to express it. How humbling it is to realize that someone thinks so much of you as to desire those same qualities in themselves.
I'm serious. The sentiment is nice, but who knew I was a role model? It is crazy. I've done some mentoring in the past of course, but I've never felt so good without doing a single thing. There is no doubt in my mind that this young lady will go far. I don't say this as some way to stroke my own ego as I've had little to do with the shaping of her. Indeed, her excellent parents are much more deserving of the credit, and so I lay it at their feet.
I know that she will be successful because she values the right sorts of things. She appears to be more than able to make the right decisions about the tough issues. Imagine, a young person today valuing wordsmithing and cleverness above physical appearance and fleeting high school romances! My own little sister, purportedly cut from the same cloth as I, is not so mature! She is too wrapped up in piercings, weight, and her boyfriend. Which is all good, that's part of being young too. But anyone so driven at such a young age can only be on the right path.
I think it is marvelous. And not just because I've been paid the greatest compliment ever.
