Nope, that wasn’t me, sorry. I haven’t been in a Cracker Barrel in years.
In the UK, it was Spring Bank Holiday on Monday, and the nicest possible day - no clouds, warm, but not too hot. I went for for a bike ride up on the South Downs and on a fairly busy piece of road I found an iPhone that another cyclist had dropped (it was running a GPS tracking app). Once I got home I was able to text the last contact and was soon contacted by the owner of the phone, and he picked it up. So I was feeling pretty good about myself, but had a long afternoon with nothing to do.
So I grabbed my guitar and music case, and got up to a public park above the village. There is an old oak tree with a bench around it, just a pleasant balance of sun and shade, and semiprivate. So I sat and played guitar/harmonica and sang through a good chunk of my oeuvre (rock/blues/folk). There were people walking their dogs and playing in the park below.
A woman with her family stopped and told me
“That is really nice, I’ve been sitting on the bench (which was out of sight on the other side of a hedge) listening and really enjoying the music”.
I thanked her, and played on. I stayed there for 2 [sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub] hours (played it till my fingers bled), just enjoying the place, making music. Made me feel good.
I retired a little over a year ago and now I take a morning walk through the neighborhood. I make it a point to make eye contact with everyone I pass and say good morning. Now as I walk I can see folks look forward to our little greetings. I trto to find a little compliment when I can. Your yard is looking nice, or comments on a particular bush or flower. People alwasy like to hear they look like they are loosing weight. I always try to be honest and look for something good to say. Iy pays off for both parties involved.
One day I was on the metrorail when a lady came to me and said, timidly “I’m sorry to bother ju, but jur sweter inside out”. I smiled and explained that no, “it’s a trick sweater”. It looked as if it was inside out until you looked at the seams or at the inside, which was clearly not the right side. She thought it was SO cool, I took it off so she’d be able to examine it more closely. She said she’d try to make one like that, I could almost see the different knots and steps flying around her head. We totally made each other’s day. That lady and another one who complimented me on a jacket, brightening what had been a truly horrible day, made me resolve to never refrain from giving someone a compliment just on account of them being strangers.
Sometimes all it takes is a smile. There was a kid waiting for the train last time I took it who would peep at me from behind a column. I peeped at him, too. We spent about twenty minutes like that (the train was late) and his mother gave me a grin you could have used to light up the dawn.
I’m always pleased when people take the time to say something nice to me! It’s wonderful when people are kind; it makes the horrible easier to bear. 
Anyway, I have on my favorite skirt today and I don’t think I’ve ever worn it without someone commenting on it. Expecting a compliment in 3 … 2… 1 …
The best compliment you can give me is on my children. Not that I take full credit for their awesomeness, it’s just that it gives me great joy when others pay them a compliment.
Can I brag about my son?
Several years ago, when my son was 3 or 4 my hometown was in the middle of a heatwave. Being frail, pale, northern flowers, everyone was wilting from the heat. I went into a grocery store for a) the air conditioning and b) to figure out something cool and easy for supper. Everyone else in the store seemed to be in the same situation tired, hot, exhausted. A woman with severe lymphedema who was obviously suffering greatly and wearing a lage brigtly coloured mumu, shuffled into line behind us.
My son kept looking at her, his mouth open, clearly amazed. I tried to distract him and hoped he wouldn’t say anything offensive to the woman. Finally he said “Hello, Miss?”
The lady looked up, sad, apprehensive, and just beaten down by the world.
My son reached out and pointed and said “I very like your dress. It’s pretty and colourful. My mom never wears dresses, she only wears jeans.”
The look on this woman’s face was priceless. She thanked him, complimented him on his shirt (it had Tomas the Tank engine on it) and looked at me and said “You have a very sweet boy.”
This made me smile. Thank you.
He hasn’t stopped being terrific like that. At least once a week he does something so randomly cool for someone that I get people coming up to me, impressed. But that story of the flowered mumu is my favorite. He also tells me that my extra weight makes me more cuddly.
I 100% agree. Also, I like your skirt. 
It must have been your Doppelganger!
I’m a female biker, and as a result, I wear a lot of leather. I try to stay with a classy look, though and I often hear compliments from non-biker women while in restrooms. It always makes me think that I’m doing something right
Once I was sitting at a traffic light, when a skateboarder rode up on the curb, did something complicated with the board that involved it leaving his feets, flipping and then hitting the ground so he could land on it. His balance wavered a little when he landed, but he held it up and then spun to a stop. I caught his eye and gave him a thumbs up sign. He gave me thumbs up and a luminous, awestruck smile that said “Wow, a biker chick thinks I’m cool!”
I rode off thinking happily that from the look he gave me, a 16 year old skateboarder thinks 30 year old biker chicks are cool. Big compliments on both sides without a word spoken.
(When I mentioned it to my biker buddies, they said that I’d probably given that kid jerk off material for weeks.)
Last Saturday, I ran in the Hero Rush, a 4 mile obstacle course based on events firefighters perform. One of the stations was a hose climb, which was basically like climbing a rope except that it was a hose instead of a rope. There was a long line for the obstacle, because a lot of women wanted to try, but all except two of them (I think) couldn’t make it all the way up to the platform and had to be assisted by volunteers.
Well, I climbed all the way to the platform, and to my surprise, when I dismounted, the people in line started cheering for me because I was a woman who had made it to the top! It wasn’t just my friends cheering, either, it was total strangers and it made my day!
I love moments like these because it reminds me that I shouldn’t be too competitive for my own good. When I saw those other two women make it to the top, I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t cheer for them. I was just impatient to get my turn to show off. And if I see people do stuff I can’t do, I’m very inclined to get jealous rather than to be congratulatory. But the people cheering for me was an excellent reminder to me to celebrate other people’s accomplishments, rather than be jealous of them.
Yesterday I bought some flowers for the SO. The cashier said I was thoughtful and [something else nice].
At Fred Meyer I saw a young (early-20s at the oldest) girl wearing a bright green T-shirt with white text that read: ‘Science. It works, bitches!’ I told her I liked it, and she seemed pleased.
This morning when I was picking up some drive-thru breakfast, I got compliments from two employees on my smile and my hair style. Both the employees were women close to my age, so that just made the good feeling that much better.
(And given that 1: I recently turned forty and have been feeling self-conscious about my teeth, and 2: I’ve been giving myself a work-in-progress haircut for the last two weeks, both compliments are very appreciated. :):))
I also get about one compliment a week on my nose piercings, which makes me feel less fuddy-duddy.
one random time, I was walking and someone said they loved my sandals and asked where I got them. I guessed payless cuz I really couldn’t remember! And few times, folks asked about my curly hair and how they loved it. Even on one day when I thought it looked dirty and flyaways.
And a comment like that is remembered for a long time.
Several months ago I was at Friendly’s with a friend’s children, a 7yo girl and 9yo boy. They were playing quietly during the meal, with the occasional giggle or prod, but basically having a good time.
As we were finishing, an older woman walked up to me and told me how well behaved my children were; she was sincere, and I made sure that the children understood just how cool it was that a stranger had appreciated their behavior.
A few years back, my own kids were 14 or 15 and my wife and I took them along with a few of their friends to Pizza Hut. The 5 or 6 teenagers asked if we would mind if they had their own table in a different part of the restaurant, and I thought that was fine.
Occasionally one of them would come over to check if we were Ok with their order, but other than that they kept to themselves.
As we paid both bills, two waitresses came over and said “We just wanted to let you know that you have amazing teenagers.” They had never seen a group of teens behave so well and be so respectful to them. That happy moment still makes me smile
When my son was about 4 years old, I was at our local school yard teaching him how to ride his bike. The school was being painted so there were 6 or 7 guys painting away, and I thought they were not paying a bit of attention to us. He struggled and struggled trying to get the hang of it, for an hour or so and then he finally got it - he was up and riding. From behind me I hear clapping and turn around and see all the guys have stopped and are clapping and cheering him on. I just about burst with pride and my son could not wipe the smile off his face! Not that it was a compliment - but it sure made my day. I’m writing about it cause just last night I was telling my daughter about this incident and to this day - 20 years later I think of it often and it puts a smile on my face every single time.
I got married this past Sunday. When we got home, I got out of the car to help my husband back up. There were 3 young girls bicycling, so I told them to go on past while he waited. One of them said “You look pretty.” I thanked her, and said “This is my wedding dress. We just got married.” They looked awestruck, said “congratulation” in unison, and rode off yelling to their friends “Hey! She just got married! She just got married!”
It was the perfect funny ending to the day.
I was at a grocery store in a dress and heels and a three year old girl said to her mom “That’s a pretty girl!” It was really sweet and made my day.
I try to compliment strangers on their clothes when something in particular strikes me, like the employee at the co-op who was wearing a really cool cardigan. She had a whole story behind it, as it happens, and we had a nice chat.
This didn’t happen to me but I remember it well. An old college flame (and her husband) were visiting from Arizona and the two of us were on the L.A. metro. She was about seven months pregnant at the time, travelling before family life took over her entire life. At that stage in her pregnancy she preferred to stand. At some point a fellow got in proximity and told her that pregnant women were sexy and she looked great. Having said that he left the car for another. I though it a bit over-the-top but Michelle was beaming. Made her day.