When I was in college I had a crush on a girl named Sue. Her sister Nancy attended the same school and was a writer on the campus newspaper. I noticed her stories because of my crush on Sue. I got a chance to meet Nancy at a party. I mentioned that I liked a cute human interest story she wrote. She had a boyfriend, but the rest of the night she made sure I was taken care of, enough to eat, ect.
I really never thought a lot more about it until many years later. I was coaching in a children’s basketball league at church. They didn’t have enough referees so coaches had to call games when their teams didn’t play. Many coaches just went through the motions, but I took it seriously and worked hard to referee games the way I wished others would referee my team’s games. That meant being in the right position to make calls and giving kind input to players so they could improve regarding the rules. That’s important for young players. The next day I was sitting in church before the service started and a woman came up to thank me for doing such a conscientious job of referring games the day before. She noticed that I worked hard to do a good job and went out of her way to tell me.
Of course I felt wonderful that she complimented me. Later I remembered the situation with Nancy and thought she must have felt the same way I did. I read that people who really care about the work they do especially like for someone to notice their efforts.
I started being on the lookout for anyone who was doing an extra good job, whatever that might be. I mentioned to the best dancer in our local theatre group how good she was. You would have thought I’d given her a million dollars. The same was true for an excellent sales person at our local appliance store. Here is a scene from The Field of Dreams that shows the effect of a sincere compliment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFFnOj1iATM
Through the years, I’ve learned that everybody in some way or another feels like they aren’t enough, see The Big Secret. The Big Secret Doing a terrific job helps diligent people feel more like they are enough. They are dying for somebody to notice and say something. All I need to do is live outside myself a little and be observant. It takes just a moment on my part, but may last them a lifetime. Besides as Shakespeare said, “The fragrance of the rose lingers on the hand that casts it.”
May you have enough today, one moment at a time.
THIS HELPED ME 
I have developed a habit of complimating people who render me a service, especially if the service is something traditionally time consuming like getting a renewal of a drivers licence or recently getting a covid test which can involve long lines or be complicated. I say “you made this WAY too easy.” People just light up when I say this.
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One of my daughters is in the service industry..restaurant work, etc. She has so many stories about how demanding some people can be..then they stiff the staff with a lousy tip..or none at all.
She also tells me that a compliment goes a long long way in making a tough day a bit easier.
The other day I watched plumbers working so hard to unclog a drain. Their boss was constantly calling asking them to hurry to the next job. They finished the job and left the place cleaner than they found it.
So many people have so little respect for those who make their lives more comfortable.
I not only complemented them, I slipped them a few bucks to thank them.
They have bills to pay and kids to feed.
A compliment is good. An unexpected tip, if you can afford a few bucks, is even better.
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