My Face Is Red, I Stand Corrected

I'm lousy at taking compliments. My husband has been telling me I'm beautiful for damn near 13 years and I still don't believe him. I've managed to finally say Thank You, which used to be a big challenge for me. But, I'm still not comfortable with the idea of being told I'm good, great or fabulous.

I've become aware of this affliction again recently, as I've been hit with a barrage of amazing and humbling praise. Every time someone says something nice, I'm momentarily struck dumb. Me? You're talking about me? Can't be.

So imagine my surprise when the lovely Neve Black approached me with a proposition. She is doing readings at a place called the Literary Cafe the last Saturday of every month and she wanted to know if it would be okay if she read some of my stuff this coming Saturday. Her exact words? "I think you're an amazing writer and I'd like to celebrate that." I mean, WOW. Right? Needless to say, I said sure. What bigger compliment is there than that? I'm still processing it. Check back with me in a few years and I might have it worked out. There will be video, so stay tuned.

I don't know how or why this whole thing started, but I've always been the first in line to kick my own ass, dwell on every mistake and take myself to task for every bad decision. Hearing nice stuff tends to put that part of me into a tailspin. I'm working on it, but it is a slow process.

I am truly, madly, deeply grateful. No amount of words could express how much. I'll keep working on saying those two little words with more gusto. But, the blushing is going to take some more time.

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