The Power of Being Friendly

So, you may have noticed that I'm not exactly blogging every day in May anymore, but alas, life is busy and this can't be helped. However, the topic of compliments from the other day got me thinking...

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A while ago I was having pre-drinks with friends before a night out. I mentioned that I was hungry and suggested pizza. Unfortunately, one of my friends was pulling a sicky from the local pizza place and since we were at his house, that turned out to not be the best idea. I was bummed since I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and was a little worried, too, since it's not often that I drink and I thought I was bound to be sick if I didn't eat something first. Well, this guy who I had just met about 5 minutes before, and who is my friend's house mate jumped to attention at the mention of my hunger.
"I'll make you some pasta!" he said.
"Oh, really?" I replied. "That would be great!"
So off he toddled to the kitchen to make me some pasta. A kind gesture, which I thought nothing of. Until...
"What are you doing?"
"Making Sunae some pasta"
"What! No you're not!" (said with shock, not nastiness, by my best friend) "Sunae gets absolutely bloody everything done for her! Has she seriously charmed you that much already?"

Now it was my turn to be shocked!
"Umm, Leeshy? I do not! He is just being nice, don't scare the poor boy!"
The nice guy came and brought me my yummy pasta and I thanked him profusely. But, later on the subject of the pasta came up again, when the friend who's house we were at gave me his long sleeve shirt to wear over my skimpy dress when I was cold.
"Who's shirt are you wearing, Sunae?"
"J-j-jamie's" I replied, biting my tongue through chattering teeth "Ouch! Bit my t-t-t-t-tongue"
Everyone laughed, and we got in the nice warm taxi. Being drunk as we were, we got honest with each other here. I called my friend out on liking a guy, Jamie called me out for pole-dancing in the night club. I caught Cam out for being an awkward dancer. Then Leeshy caught me out on once again getting something from someone for nothing (the shirt). Then we all started brain storming (or Leeshy and I did, anyway) on all the things I've gotten off people in the past.

I once got my iPhone screen fixed for free by a nice guy in the Apple shop. Without an appointment.
One drunken night out, my friend and I were given a whole bottle of Jaegermeister and a heap of Red Bulls after telling a girl that her hair was pretty. That same night I was given about 10 other free drinks off people as well.
Basically, once we started thinking about it, we realised there had been quite a few times I had been given things for free off people I had just met.
Then the next day, Leeshy bought me KFC for breakfast. Totally just drove the point home!

Anyways, I was a little baffled at the realisation of this. What do I do that makes people be so bloody nice to me? I broached the subject with Jake a few days later, after being allowed to cut in the line at the shopping centre by a lovely man who I smiled at.

"It's because you're nice, baby." he said rather matter-of-factly. "Why wouldn't people want to do nice things for you? You are the smiliest, friendliest person I know. You're always nice to people, and so people are nice back." Jake said this without the slightest hint of trying to suck up to me. He said it, and just carried on with whatever he was doing at the time, and there I was just sitting, smiling like a goofball.

This has got to be the nicest compliment I have ever received. And the best thing about it? It wasn't even said like a compliment. Just like a simple answer to a question which was troubling me way more than it should have. Sometimes we don't give ourselves enough credit for the type of people we are. I had never really thought of myself as a particularly nice person, I am just me. Complimenting people, giving them things, doing nice things for people is just in my nature, but it was nice to have someone compliment me on the way I live my day-to-day life.