This post was initially an update to the recent post, “Uplifting & Supporting Signs from Inner and Outer Worlds“; but I decided to create its own post since I added more stories and insights,
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Yesterday, while my husband and I were driving to Flagstaff to enjoy the day, I noticed an unusual, email message.
The reply below—to my comment within this post [“Uplifting & Supporting Signs from Inner and Outer Worlds“]—was a delightful surprise, since someone like Peter Sage seems like he would be a very busy man. Granted, even if it was one of his staff members who replied in his place, it’s still very thoughtful.
Peter Sage has left a new reply comment on “Welcome! Start HERE”:
Thank you so much for taking the time to share, Barbara! We seem to be aligned in many ways and it is, of course, no coincidence that you are here. Enjoy the journey! Peter
When it comes to comments that I share, I usually don’t receive replies; and I’ve embraced this since I don’t share just to receive something back.
For over a decade, I’ve shared many comments—for YouTube videos, blog posts, articles, forums, etc.—because I’ve enjoyed giving honest (and mostly positive) feedback to others since childhood, especially compliments for what I noticed was impressive about another (i.e., how kind, attractive, smart, wise, talented, professional, etc. someone is).
I’ve even experienced people respond (in person), that no one’s ever shared that feedback with them, and that they really appreciated it.
This used to be surprising to me, especially when their wonderful qualities were very obvious (ex. a woman who’s beautiful inside and out).
But I learned later in life—from personal experiences and other women’s stories—that some (or many) women (and even men) are catty; so they often don’t share compliments with attractive women, because they believe that the act of giving this free gift is taking something away from them (making them feel less than due to their low self-esteem).
A recent, former coworker once shared with me that in almost 71 years of her life, I was the first female who sincerely shared a generous compliment with her, which sounded sad.
I’ve heard plenty of related stories from other females about females withholding compliments, but this one stood out from the rest due to the sheer number of years involved; so I was glad that I shared as usual.
This coworker is hands down the most fashionable female I had ever met, She coordinates from head to toe with neutral and/or colorful headbands, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts, outfits, shoes, and/or hats in such a balanced and FUN way (without going overboard).
She’s able to pull off various looks, to include: elegant, classy sexy, badass, bohemian, punk, free-spirit, casual (yet stylish), professional, wild, modern, old-fashion, pretty, gorgeous, etc.
Plus, she shops smart—-balancing quality of the material, colors, stitching, designs, style, price, great deals, etc.—while doing her best to Be Prosperity Consciousness (something that she’s been practicing for a long time).
She once shared that if she absolutely loves an outfit (or anything else) that jumps out at her, she won’t hesitate to buy it regardless of price and brand name (as long as it’s somewhat reasonable); and I excitedly agreed with her that I’m that way too!
In addition, if I don’t really like, love or need something, I no longer have an interest to buy it; whereas in the past, I sometimes bought material things for reasons not related to genuine interest (i.e., because they seemed like a great deal, to fill a void within, to match a certain dress code at work, etc.)
And just because something has a well-known, brand name, doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m interested in it, though I do appreciate great quality items.
And that’s because I have seen some ugly-@$$, brand-name clothes, shoes, bags, etc. that I wouldn’t wear even if I received them for free.
I still feel absolutely grateful for Shea’s inspiration, since there were times that I thought I was too old to dress how I truly felt like at times (though I’m in my late forties).
Once, at the boutique I worked at in Sedona, a customer—-who was younger than this coworker—said that she felt too old to wear whatever clothing that she actually liked.
And my coworker looked at her with attitude (to include a raised eyebrow), and said with her Texas accent, “Say what now? No, we’re never too old to wear whatever we feel like wearing,” and then gracefully guided her towards another similar option that the customer liked as well, and felt more comfortable with.
I could often tell that customers appreciated Shea’s fiery spirit, her refreshing outlook, no-bullshit honesty, and her courageous way of living (not caring what others think, and living Life on her terms).
One day, a couple of customers (somewhat drunk guys)—who appeared to be in their late 40’s to early 50’s—stopped by the boutique, and Shea shared some information about the men’s leather jackets they had questions about.
At one point, one of them made a sarcastic comment that she would say anything to get them to buy the jackets (something we often heard from customers); and to their great surprise, she said, in a calm, cool, and collected manner (with some Texas attitude of course), “I don’t give a shit whether you buy them or not; we don’t even receive commission here.”
They busted out laughing—probably from being intoxicated, from the disbelief that she just told them off, and the fact that they loved her ass-kicking energy; and she simply walked off, because they were wasting her precious time. I love this unforgettable woman! ^_^
I was often very impressed by her way of Being, living, and doing, because she seemed to embody the Goddess essence within, which I desired to emulate, and simply BE, as well (to include wearing whatever I love, and caring less what others think).
Thankfully, I have no need or desire to wear clothes that have to prove something to others, like sweat pants that say, “bootylicious” or shirts that say something like, “sexy” (which seems to be bring up the question, “Who are you trying to convince?”).
I first wrote about my former coworker, Shea, in the post, “What is an Amazing Soul Relationship?“; and the following is an excerpt:
She’s so authentic, BOLD, sassy, confident, assertive, unapologetically her, creatively expressive, deeply wise, hilarious, stylish and FUN. She’s definitely NOT your typical 70 year old human lady.
I thanked her for empowering and inspiring me to BE more true to self/Self, and to unconditionally love the whole self (which includes self-compassion and self-care).
She walks the wisdom, and leads by example, though she can be a bit rough at times (in a funny way), saying things like, “Shhhit” and “Girrrl” with a southern accent, and being blatantly blunt (with no filter) at times.
I mentioned that she seems to be tuned into Prosperity Consciousness, and she reminded me that she’s been working on it for a long time, and that she reminds herself daily that, ultimately, all the uplifting abundance comes from the Source within us (which I started reminding myself since that day, though I forget at times).
When I expand my perspective, I realize that when people (and not just women) withhold any form of love (to include sharing compliments), it’s not because they’re less than, wrong, or bad, but because they haven’t yet realized the greater truth that shining a spotlight on another only expands the Light—making it brighter for interconnected Life within this world and beyond—rather than shift it from one person (or location) to another.
Unconditional/True Love (in its various forms)—that includes unconditional giving from the Heart, without calculating the beneficial reasons with the logical mind—truly is UNlimited, and there’s an abundance of it to go around.
Granted, in the past, I used to feel a bit sad when I would send gifts to immediate and extended family members—homemade cards, care packages, gift cards, etc.—and not even receive an acknowledgment of receipt (let alone a “thank you”).
I even felt frustrated at times because I wondered if the package got lost, or delivered elsewhere, and I had just wasted my money.
But I later chose to believe that if it did go to someone else, then it was meant to be, and perhaps it was their lucky day.
I’ve been learning more about UNconditional/True Love (for self/others), so I decided a while back that I will either 1) no longer send stuff to anyone if I know for sure that I’m bothering them, or if they don’t care for the gifts, AND/OR 2) I will send it to them—after getting a feel about our relationship and confirming recent address—trusting that they received it (or even if they didn’t, being okay with it).
What’s fascinating to me, is that once I chose to respect and unconditionally love self and others more, I started experiencing family members not only acknowledging receipts of various forms of gifts, but also sharing deeply heartfelt, gratitude messages (i.e., perhaps outer world catching up to, and mirroring, inner world).
As I’ve mentioned before, I started sharing personal stories, various perspectives, thoughts, feelings, insights, realizations, ideas, etc. via blogging because people I’ve interacted with in the past (to include recently) shared how helpful some of the information was.
So even though my blog has been seemingly invisible in this world—with the exception of a small number of kind people sporadically sharing comments (and mostly spammers showing up)— I’ve been continually doing what I fully enjoy while in the creative mode; and that’s been suffice for a over decade when it comes to blogging.
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