SIMPLICITY
By Dan Miller
October 2, 2007
I'm intrigued at how simple words, or actions, can have such a lasting impact on people.
That's why I included the photo of Walden Pond.
That's the place Henry David Thoreau spent two years living and writing about simplicity more than a century and a half ago.
I've heard Oprah Winfrey talk about how -- when she was a very young girl living here in Nashville -- she happened to be in the same room with Tish Hooker who, almost in passing, told her she was "so pretty."
Oprah had never been told that before.
I don't know whether Tish even recalls making that comment to a little girl so many years ago.
But those simple words boosted Oprah's spirit and confidence, and -- to this day -- she counts it as a crucial moment in her life.
Now, this was certainly no big life-altering deal.... but when I was a young teenager, I was wearing a green shirt one day.
Our next door neighbor, Nina Beckum, casually commented that "green was my color".... that I, "looked handsome in green."
That may or may not have been the case, but even now -- half a century later -- those simple words still resonate with me, and I usually feel a certain comfort when I wear something green.
And how about this.
Once, on a television show in California about 18 years ago, I made Steve Allen laugh.
I won't bore you with what I said, but -- trust me -- I had grown up watching and laughing at Steve Allen on television.... and the fact that he chuckled at something I said made me feel quite "validated" at that moment, and I still think about it.
In fact, I still use the same silly quip, when the occasion presents itself.
A nice, simple little moment in life.
It can happen anywhere with anybody.
Maybe it's an aunt or uncle, or a casual acquaintance who -- perhaps years ago -- laughed at something you said....
Or offered an unexpected word of encouragement....
Maybe it was just a casual comment or compliment from a friend...
Or even someone admiring, or criticizing, your attempt at art....
A simple word -- or a seemingly inconsequential encounter -- can have such a lasting impact on a person's life story.
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