I’ve received a lot of compliments over the years.
And I’ve disliked most of them.
While I’m working on being gracious and accepting well wishes, there is still one word that strikes my ire.
It’s the kind of compliment you only get when you’ve gone through something.
Sure, the word has positive connotations, but it’s more than just a word to describe joy.
Baked into this word are the scars of the past.
If you’ve endured hardship, and you likely have, then you know what I’m talking about.
A close family member of mine gets fired all the time.
Because of substance abuse, she has had (and lost) at least ten jobs in the past ten years.
Five years and five jobs ago, this close relative lost her employment right before a big birthday.
We celebrated her birthday despite the loss of employment.
Each person presented the birthday girl with a card, but something in the cards triggered my relative.