Compliments.

So, there's an old thread on Shakesville (which I've been eagerly sifting through ever since I discovered it) that is now close, in which people are supposed to reveal the best compliment they'd ever received. I have many, all rather strange. Bear in mind this is not me bragging; rather, looking through the things people have said that really made me feel good or meant a lot, so I can store them away for bad days.

Most recent, probably, was my friend Sarah telling me I was brave. That might not seem like much, but this was at the beginning of last fall when I was just facing having to deal with never living in my old house again, not knowing a damn thing about what the future held for me, and generally feeling marooned and alone in the worst sense of those words. Her telling me that was something I'd never considered before, because I sure as hell didn't feel brave, but it really meant a lot to me.

Then, last spring, we were all saying goodbye to our main professor from London, Lyndon, and when he came to me he said "I'm going to miss working with you. Somehow, you manage to turn a simple question into an interrogation." It was a rather weird compliment, only obvious as what it was from the context, but I liked the idea that I had that capacity.

Once in the fairly recent past, I got in touch with one of my favorite teachers from elementary school, and when I went to visit her at school she told me privately that I was her favorite student. Ever.

Also, back in the beginning of college when I got into my first German class here at school, I spoke with the professor (who was actually native German) and she asked me how long I had lived in Germany. The truth was, I never had, but apparently my accent was good enough that she thought I had.

I used to work at a fabric store and had a fun exchange with a couple of women over the summer; they didn't know much about a project they wanted to do and I bounced around some ideas with them, helped them find materials, etc. They were in a very good humor, laughing, the whole works. When I was cutting material for them, one of them asked where my manager was, because she wanted to tell her I deserved a raise. That made my day, since it wasn't often people were that visibly appreciative of the employees at that particular store, and I like knowing that I really helped someone out.

When I was a freshman in high school, I went to my first formal dance in a dress that I really loved. The guy I was crushing on at the time - a senior, no less - was talking to my group of friends when I came to join them, and he looked up and just said "Wow", in a tone of obvious admiration. No idea whether he was actually impressed or just pretending to be, and nothing ever worked out with him, but at the time it made my entire night.

Two things I always enjoy: 1) Getting rave reviews from a professor on an assignment I didn't expect to do so well one (which has happened twice in the past year), and 2) when small children like my oddly colored hair. It's also nice when I'm wearing a costume from a specific fandom and members of the public recognize it.

EDIT: Thought of one more. Once my friend Paige put up pictures after a speech & debate tournament and one of them was me in a sort of weird but very colorful outfit. Paige captioned the picture "She's such a work of art. :)" But then again, this is why we all love Paige because she just radiates happiness from her all the time, and is therefore amazing.