Lookin' good!

Today is National Compliment Day! And let me say that you are awesome! And such good taste, too! Not just the fabu way you dress, but the fact that you alight on this sensational blog for all your bloggy needs. What can I say? We all just think you're the bee's knees, my friend.

Yes, this is one of those non-holiday holidays that populate the calendars of teachers and office-party planners in the HR department with too much time on their hands. Aren't you smart to figure that out!

Various calendar-centric Web sites tell us that National Compliment Day was created in 1998 by two New Hampshire women, Debbie Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlain, to encourage positive, upbeat communications with our fellow human beings. Perhaps, since they lived in New England, they saw the need for warmth.

Of course, there are some activities suggested to go along with this day.

Holiday Insights suggests this one:

1. Gather in a circle.
2. Look at the person to your left.
3. Find a compliment for that person.
4. Write the compliment on a piece of paper and who it is for.
5. Gather the notes and post on a board.
6. All players match each of the compliments to a player. 
7. The person with the most correct matches wins.

And National Day Calendar has this similar one:

1. On a piece a paper, have each student write down or draw the best compliment they ever received.
2. Have them describe how the compliment made them feel. 
3. With that feeling in mind, challenge them to think of something positive about each of their classmates. 
4. Then allow each student to stand and receive a compliment from another student in the room. 

Hmm.

I think it's great to be nice and all, and I would love to pass along some of the compliments I got, if I ever got any. Certainly I never got any in school. My entire education was based in New York City, where no day is Compliment Day but any day could be Backhanded Compliment Day.

• "Hey, Cheech, you lose weight? You don't look so fat today."
• "That's some dancing you did. I was sure you was gonna fart."
• "You came up with that? Who would have thought a moron like you could do such a thing?"
• "Good haircut. It kinda hides that weird and deformed nose you got."
• "That guy you're datin' looks interesting, Jess. I heard they call him Cro, like Cro Magnon."
• "Yo. Nice face."

Don't underestimate the value of backhanded compliments. They prepare you in life for... well, more abuse, I guess.