Sometimes, it doesn't take much....

*Warning - totally unrelated to textiles, craft, arts, not even remotely....:)*

A complete stranger (well not complete - but she was a stranger before today) said something today that has had the most amazing affect on me...

I should quickly backtrack so that you can understand...  I have spend the weekend at a workshop called "The Happiness Trap" run by Russ Harris and based on the book The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living   The workshop was amazing and very worthwhile, but what I wanted talk about happened through a connection I made with a person at the workshop. 

Throughout the weekend we were asked to do exercises and then share our responses with another person.  Some of the things that we were sharing/talking about were quite personal, and by the end of the day, the person I was working with had seen quite a few "snapshots" of me, my life, my feelings, my fears, and my dreams (and likewise me of hers). 

At the end of the day we were asked to simply thank the other person and share what we got out of the exercises.  To my amazement, this person, whom I'd only met that morning, told me something that brought me to tears... (sorry - should have warned you about the sappyness of this post).  She thanked me for sharing with her and told me that she thought that I had a lot to offer the world.  ...that she thought that I was a strong person and that she was inspired by my courage... 

Now I have been told this before by people who are close to me (I'm not big headed... read on - if you're still with me that is), but the weight of these comments, coming from somebody who I've only just met, and will never see again, is immense!!!  I've been struggling with the concept of "getting back into the game" and meeting new people and "dating" (such and ugly work that!) and whether I'll ever find my real true love (sorry - sappy again!) so the timing of this comment couldn't have been better.  It's not that I didn't believe my friends and family, it's that I figured they'd known me long enough to see it. 

I'm inspired by the fact that a relative stranger was able to see the person that I'd like to be, but that I didn't think that strangers or new friends could/would see... it gives me courage to think that if she can see a strong, lovable person, then perhaps it's possible for others to see it as well...  and whilst the situation was set up for us to share personal information, in actual fact, it's not all that different to a date or meeting new people scenario.

So to the wonderful person who was able to help me to feel fabulous and inspired and empowered in the space of only a couple of minutes... THANK-YOU!!!!!!