nice to hear (lyn)

Alexander is stressed out about school.  I’m stressed out about my government job.  But today is a warm and sunny no-coat day, and I receive four-that’s right, four- unexpected compliments.

I’m in my lobby and Allison, a neighbor in the building, sees me.  She’s with her beautiful 17-year old daughter and they are all dressed up for a ceremony at her daughter’s school.  She sees me in a casual skirt and T, and says, “Wow.  You look fabulous.”  I tell her I lost 40 pounds, and she is surprised, adding, “I didn’t realize you had that much to lose."

A couple of hours later I’m on the street on my way to a meeting with Brooke.  I bump into Lauren, someone who used to live in my building but no longer does.  We see each other at Agata throughout the year, but this is the first time Lauren has seen me in a while without a coat.  “I love your hair.  It looks gorgeous.”  I had it cut yesterday with Jennifer, a new stylist, and to make sure I loved her, Jennifer kindly threw in some free caramel highlights to “lighten up” my face.  I guess it worked.  But then I tell Lauren that I recently lost 40 pounds, thinking it must be the weight and not the hair.  “Well whatever it is, you look incredible.”  I don’t think Lauren has ever complimented me before.  She then says, “I love your bag.”  I look down to see if I am carrying my Louis Vuitton Neverful tote (that everyone has but I still love), my white Tod’s, my black Balenciaga Day bag, or my favorite pewter Fendi Sellaria tote.  But I’m carrying none of these.  No.  I’m instead carrying my official black US Census bag (with the identifying name facing toward me).  When I turn it around she says, “No really.  That’s a great bag. I like all the outside pockets.”  Hmmmm.  I may have to discredit her earlier comments.

Now I’m coming home from my meeting with Brooke and bump into Judy, someone who currently lives in my building.  She says, “Did you lose a lot of weight?  You look amazing.”  I tell her yes, and she wants to know how.  By the end of our conversation, I may even have convinced her to come to a meeting.

I get home and as I’m unlocking the door to my apartment, my neighbor Linda (who lives on my floor and whom I see all the time) appears to notice my transformation for the first time.   “You look UN-BE-LIEVE-A-BLE.”  She says it just like that.  As if she is back in elementary school being asked to sound out a word.  And then she adds, “Even your face looks so much better.  You don’t have any bags under your eyes.  And you don't look haggard.  You lost the weight in exactly the right places, but I never even saw you as overweight.”

I know I’m going to miss not being newly thin.  I haven’t received compliments in so long, and I am now getting so many.  And they never ever get tiresome.

Oh, and I almost forgot.  When I got to my meeting with Brooke at Starbucks, Derek Jeter is there getting coffee.  When I later tell this to Alexander, he asks if Jeter said anything about  my weight loss.  Nope; not a word.