People can be really nice. I’ve received many nice compliments over my life but there are a couple of them that stand out. I’m sure some people might find these offensive if they were to receive them but all I recall is feeling really proud.

You’re smart, you understand.

That was it. That’s all I needed. Check it out though, I KNOW I’m smart. I mean, I know when I meet someone who is not intelligent and I just don’t see myself that way. I do things occasionally that may not seem very smart but it’s usually to make someone laugh or a bad habit I’ve picked up such as just DOING something and then paying for it later. Having someone else tell you they think you’re smart? That’s solid gold right there. I feel like that’s the highest compliment I can receive.

You’re not soft like other girls. You’re solid.

This is a little different. This is the one people could get offended by if a guy told them this. Let me give you some context. I was seeing this guy and he was over at my apartment back when I was in my mid-20’s. He told me he would rub my back because I was sore from playing volleyball. That’s when he told me.

You see, since college, I was always of the mind that there are fit girls and there are thin girls and then there are skinny-fat girls. Fit girls are solid, they may not be “skinny” per say but they are healthy and have muscle. Thin girls are usually runners. Definitely in shape but don’t really have much muscle aside from their legs. Skinny-fat girls are basically girls who manage to stay thin due to eating less and no exercise (but if you poke them in the core, it’s soft).

I’ve never wanted to be anything BUT a fit girl. I would never consider myself skinny. Even when I was a size 4, I was solid. To me, being solid is another of the ultimate compliments. Being skinny is one thing, but being fit and knowing that I have worked to look like that, even if much of it was playing ball back then which never felt like working out, that’s the key.

So there you go. Two ultimate compliments you can pass my way – tell me I’m smart and fit!