You Are Enough
Thank you
A few days ago, I parked at Starbucks and got out to pick up my online order. I came back out and was about to get into my car when I heard the window wind down from the car adjacent to me.
“Excuse me Ma’am”, I turned around to see the woman who was trying to get my attention, and smiled.
“I just wanted to let you know, you are stunning.”
Shocked, all I could say was “Oh wow. Thank you so much.” It took me by surprise because it was a work day, I was in a rush and had in no way made any effort in my appearance as is the case everyday because it’s the last thing on my mind. It also shocked me because it’s very rare for someone to go out of their way to give a genuine compliment to a stranger.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but then I thought ‘no I’m going to say something’, so I just wanted to let you know you’re gorgeous. Don’t forget that you’re beautiful. I hope you have an amazing day.”
The interaction did brighten up my day because it was so unexpected and so sweet. I told my sister what had happened and she mentioned that it’s so interesting how our perception of ourselves is so different from how others perceive us. She replayed an interaction she had when dropping her children off at school in the morning. My sister felt so flustered and not put together at all, but there was another mum who told her how amazing and put together she seemed.
“It’s interesting how we’re able to pretend everything is fine on the surface when we’re a mess inside.”
That statement from my sister made me really think about what we as mothers think about ourselves. We always think we aren’t doing enough. Especially when it comes to our children. What if it’s not that we’re hiding how much we’re falling apart. What if we are just genuinely doing a great job, and we’re too blinded by mum guilt and unrealistic expectations that we can’t even recognise how well we’re doing?
Next time you see someone that you feel like saying something kind to, speak up. A comment from a stranger may be the only thing that removes some self doubt and helps us believe we are doing enough. We are enough.