I not only had to turn the compliment down, but I needed to completely discredit the possibility of it being true. To make matters even more murky, as often happens in life, women have no trouble offering compliments. It's just that receiving stuff that is impossible. For instance, if a child proudly displays piece of paper covered with multi-colored scrawls, I doubt any of us would hesitate to praise the child's efforts. Here's my theory.
Women are the consummate nurturers.
Studies have shown that a woman is more likely to aid an unrelated child in need then her male counterpart. In whatever form, we give, we take care of, we support. Oddly enough, however, this giving, caring and supporting is rarely turned upon ourselves. Whether out of fear of conceit, lack of self-esteem or any number of reasons, we have neglected our ability to see the good in ourselves.