A few days ago I received a nice email from my aunt. Part of it read:
Funny…I am in my room and Madison just came running in. “Hurry, turn on 110.3 FM. Cousin Brian’s song is on!!!” I turn it on and start laughing, because of course it is James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain”. She would not believe me that it wasn’t you. She said it sounded EXACTLY like you.
There you go!
First, you can probably imagine that Cousin Madison just made my list of favorite people.
But more importantly, I love the role that my aunt took here. I call it the “Compliment Middleman.” They take note of when a friend or family member is complimented and then go out of their way to let that person know about it. It’s a talent that some people have and that more people should find. Some of my favorite people do this well and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I try to do it as often as opportunity allows.
For me personally, I’ve never been able to take a compliment real well directly from the giver. However, I think that everyone enjoys knowing that they were spoken well of when not around.
So next time you hear a friend or family member be complimented, send that person an email or a phone call and let them know. I think you’ll enjoy it as much as they do.