What people notice

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel so down about yourself that you want to sit on the floor in the middle of your living room and just cry?

I had one of those days a couple weeks ago.  Honestly, they come around more often than I’d like.  This particular day I was just having a hard time with myself.  I am a perfectionist, a woman, and a new mom.  Combine those things and it’s kiiiiiind of a recipe for disaster in the “judging oneself too harshly” department.

Instead of allowing myself to plop on the floor and cry this particular time, I pulled myself up by the imaginary boot straps and decided to go on a walk with my baby girl.

I got her in her seat, got my water and shoes, and was out the door. 

There is a nice hill close by my apartment complex, so that was my place of choice.  I discovered a little while ago that not only was it a great hill to feel like I’m actually exercising and not just taking a leisurely walk, but it was the perfect distance as well.

I reached the beginning of the hill and started up.

After a long stretch of uphill walking while pushing my not-so-little infant in her stroller, I finally stopped for a little breather.  A few moments into my break, I heard someone coming up behind me.

“Wow!  That was quite impressive!”

I turned around to see a woman who had been walking up the hill as well.  

She said that she had seen me pushing that stroller all the way up the hill and thought it was great.

“Way to go!  Good for you!” she said.

I thanked her, and she continued to offer me encouragement about how I was doing a great job, how it was wonderful that I was getting out and scaling a hill on a walk with my baby, and how I should be proud of myself and keep it up.

I wanted to cry (which, let’s be honest, is an incredibly frequent feeling for me ever since pregnancy), but for a different reason than before.  This complete stranger offered me unsolicited encouragement that I desperately needed.  

It got me thinking.  This sweet woman knew nothing about me, and yet she noticed the good in me at that moment.  She didn’t comment about any of the things I was feeling bad about.  And you know what?  I bet you a million dollars that she didn’t even notice any of them.  She noticed the good I was doing in that moment, and she told me so.

We are too hard on ourselves most of the time.  Stop—take a moment to think about the actual reality.  Not the perception we have where we hyper-analyze all our faults on every level, but ACTUAL reality.  In actual reality, we are doing much better than we think we are.  And you know what?  People notice.  They notice nice, good, positive things about us.  

So, to everyone who may be having one of those sit-on-the-floor-and-cry kinds of days, let me be the one to say, “You’re doing a great job!  Way to go!  Keep it up!”