I loved Sex in the City. Charlotte, Samantha, Carrie, and Miranda were my best friends during the two years I was in my version of hell on earth – graduate school. The fire. Keeley was there too. I remember thinking it was so advanced to rent the series from Blockbuster and watch them, one after another, commercial free. And then a neighbor purchased the entire box set from Costco one day because he knew I loved it. I’m not sure how many times I watched it from beginning to end.
More recently, a friend of mine told me that I was like Carrie Bradshaw. What she was referring to was that I sit by a large window with my laptop as I write a weekly blog. I can assure you that even though I am single and quite capable of tapping into opportunities that swipe dating apps afford, there are no urban sexcapades to write about. Which is a little bit funny that my dream job would actually be to write romantic comedies.
Sitting here looking out the window made me think of Carrie Bradshaw, which made me remember the explosion of satisfaction I felt when the friend made that comment.
A compliment? Four words maybe? And just like that, a goodness explosion. Feels so good. (anyone use the phrase and just like that from SITC? I say it in my head all the time).
Do you ever pay attention to the power of words? The power of an unintentional compliment?
I’ll make another reference to a show. This one is a shortlived Netflix show, Derek. Ricky Gervais is Derek. And I think he wrote the series. Okay, I know he created the series because I just googled it.
There is a moment in one of the shows where Derek is saying goodbye to his best friend. Derek lives in an assisted living home as he has developmental differences. His best friend is much older, upper eighties perhaps. The show is filmed like The Office, they have a scene along with an interview. In the interview part during the saying goodbye scene, Derek says something like, ‘she would just touch my shoulder and it was like magic…all the bad stuff would disappear…she’d say, kindness is like magic derek, it is more important to be kind than to be cool or good looking.’
Have you had an experience where someone said or did something in an instant that shifted your present time experience? As in an energetic shift from within – a shift in mood…in an instant. Just. Like. That.
A compliment. A mention. Unexpected.
The experience of clarity. The experience of a mood shift. It happens. It exists.
What if knowing that this is possible is enough to bring intention to it and harness its power for good. This would require a belief that life is happening for you. That powers exist that can shift change for good. Just as an insult can show up and validate the pervasive enemy lurking to ruin your experience, so too can the compliment. The look. The unexpected validation that brings you back to the goodness.
Be the noticer of the goodness. Flip the script. Care about yourself enough to be open to the goodness surge. It exists. It’s available.
Tap into its stream.
day. 