compliments

oh, and have i mentioned? i take compliments very, very poorly.

i'm not sure what to do when i receive them. in fact, most of the time i don't believe them. i simply don't believe them. this is not a matter of conscious choice. for some reason, i just don't.

there are a few kinds of compliments i can accept well and believe. i think they all fall into the same category of "compliments given by people in situations in which saying something nice will yield no gain."

this is why i will believe a total stranger (e.g. cashier at target) over a colleague (e.g. nurse at work). i believe kids, because they don't have much of an agenda that paying me compliments will help complete. i believe my family, because they're generous with candid, honest criticism and because they have nothing to gain from buttering me up. i have trouble believing my friends, because they love me and they say nice things because they are wonderful people who are trying to be nice. and i never, ever believe male strangers.

like i said, i don't do it on purpose. it's just what happens.