When I was in high school and even now most days, I was always the person that no one paid attention to in a group setting. I would be telling a story and then I realized no one was listening to me and then I just shut up. It happens to everyone and it's always been my life. Then, one day when I started at my new school, I met this girl named Colleen.

Colleen was one of the nicest girls I had ever met. She was always eager to listen to me and tell me when something exciting happened and I loved listening to her stories. We could sit and talk about music and tv shows forever it seemed like. During my junior year we went on a junior retreat and Colleen and I became partners for an activity. The activity was to look at the other person in the eyes and tell them things you love about them. What Colleen told me stole my heart, and I still think about it now almost three years later.

"I love the way your eyes light up when you talk about something you love. You're so passionate about everything and it makes me so happy to see you so excited."

For me, that was the best compliment I could have ever received because I knew that someone listened to me when I talked. They comprehended what I meant and the feeling behind it. It isn't often in life that you come across someone that understands you and really focuses in on what you say and how you feel about it. It's hard to get people to listen to you. She always looked me in the eyes when I talked and never was on her phone or having side discussions, she really saw me. She took the time to pay attention and appreciate me.

To me, the greatest compliment you could receive is when someone is genuinely happy to see you happy. In a world where everything seems to be about comparison and competition, it's amazing to just have someone be happy for you every once in a while. Because of her, I try really hard to make sure people know that I am listening to what they have to say and appreciating them for who they are and the things they love.