I pondered a lot about this. What impresses me? What lives an impression on me? What makes me strongly affected, like I saw in the dictionary. I’m not a difficult person but I wouldn’t say there are a lot of things that impress me but there are a few things.
The Phoenix. I’m not sure why this came to mind as I wanted to describe this. It’s not just about a success story where you were pushed to the ground and suffered a lot of hardships and now you’re above the clouds. You don’t even have to have become a success but I’ve seen people who have gone through the worst there is.
They didn’t become glamorous, but that courage and resilience to pick up the pieces. To fight against their insecurities and all the trauma they had gone through. All the pain and nightmares they had to witness but still try to make a name for themselves, not exactly putting those pain behind them, but fighting so it doesn’t become a focal point of their lives. It takes courage and strong will. It impresses me.
The Elephant. I’m strongly affected by its Empathy. Yes, it’s so hard to see genuinely empathic people. People who do it not because they want people to know that they did it but because there are a lot of people these days that are like that. I mean genuine empathy. No one sees, heck, maybe even no one would appreciate. But you do it all the same.
I’ve seen all variations of empathy. The cameras that are ensured before it’s done. The announcement of that act on social media platforms. Everything. I don’t fault many of them. No matter how we’d like to deny it. We’ve reached this level of cynicism so we are wary and weary of everything. But the people that still find grace in them to show care. To be empathic. It affects me. It impresses me.
The Peacock. I stopped attributing the peacock to pride long ago. I just see it as confidence. And confidence stems from being comfortable in your own skin. Comfortable in the fact that you have weaknesses and flaws and scars but you don’t dwell on it because that’s what has made you who you are.
Confidence impresses me. A confident walking step. And yeah, I know the difference between a confident step and a proud one. I’m especially awed by women like that. I look up to them and I want to be like them. And I ask myself, how does it feel being so sure of yourself and your worth as a person so no mean comment can damper your spirit? How does it feel to be in a crowd, sweeping it around with a smile and speaking? It’s admirable. It impresses me.
And finally, The Wolf. I greatly admire the respect within their pack. And no, it’s not because I’ve read too many Alpha, Werewolf Books. There’s respect among them. Respect is something that impresses me because it’s what people have to fight with every day. People that are so different from you, opinions that go against everything you believe in, personalities (likes and dislikes) that don’t embody who you are at all. But you choose to respect them.
And no, you don’t have to like it. You may even hate it in your mind. But you try as much as possible not to let it invade your speech or your actions. You outwardly show respect for their views and for their way of thinking. So you say “ I may not like this about you. I may not like this view you hold. But it’s just who you are and so I respect it .” Talks like that make me above and beyond impressed.
There are people in my life that embody one or more of these attributes and I don’t fail to let them know each chance I get just how affected I am by that part of them. Just how impressed.💞