Sweet

What does it mean when someone calls you "sweet"?  I was told twice in one week that I'm sweet.  The first time "You are much too sweet to be depressed" in a message from a concerned friend.  And the second time by a kindly old gentleman customer at work, "You are very sweet, even though you don't have any of the items I'm looking for."

I only smiled at the customer, apologizing that we didn't carry the books he wanted.  To the friend, I replied, "I wish being sweet was all it took."

What does being sweet even have to do with being depressed?  Was he saying that depressed people are not sweet?  Or that sweet people don't deserve to be depressed?  I'm just musing here.  Sometimes I wonder how people see me, or what they see in me.  I don't get a lot of feedback, positive or negative, on my personality or behavior, etc.  I'd actually like to know what people think of me, and why they think what they think.  It could help with my own self-evaluations.

So, what does "sweet" even mean?

Dictionary.com has a lot of definitions, here are some of the ones that may apply to me:

1. having or denoting a pleasant taste like that of sugar  ~ Hmm, not sure about this one...no one has tasted me in over two years. ;-)  And my friend who said this recently has never tasted me.

2. agreeable to the senses or the mind: sweet music  ~ This one could be what he meant.  I am rather agreeable most of the time.  I can be soothing and comforting.

3. having pleasant manners; gentle: a sweet child  ~ I do have rather pleasant manners.

4. (of wine, etc) having a relatively high sugar content; not dry  ~ I do eat a lot of sugar sometimes, though my sense of humor is rather dry.

5. (of foods) not decaying or rancid: sweet milk ~ I certainly hope I'm not decaying or rancid, good grief!

6. not salty: sweet water ~ referring back to number 1, I suppose I'm sweet to the taste as long as I haven't been crying or sweating.

7. free from unpleasant odours: sweet air ~ I shower daily!

8. containing no corrosive substances: sweet soil ~ I try not to be corrosive (harmful or destructive), I try to build people up rather than tear them apart

10. sentimental or unrealistic ~ Oh for sure! I'm absolutely sentimental and unrealistic

13. slang  ( Austral ) satisfactory or in order; all right ~ Yeah, not really me, eh?

14. archaic  respected; dear (used in polite forms of address): sweet sir ~ I hope I'm respected and dear to others.  And I do use terms of endearment.

15. smooth and precise; perfectly executed: a sweet shot ~ Sometimes perhaps. I try...

16. sweet on  fond of or infatuated with ~ not really applicable here...although, I did have a crush on this friend at one point.

17. keep someone sweet  to ingratiate oneself in order to ensure cooperation ~ Yep, I'm a people pleaser, for sure.  And, I hope that by being kind and friendly others will be kind and friendly to me.

Synonyms:  affectionate, agreeable, amiable, angelic, appealing, attractive, beautiful, beloved, charming, cherished, companionable, considerate, darling, dear, dearest, delectable, delicious, delightful, dulcet, engaging, fair, generous, gentle, good-humored, good-natured, heavenly, lovable, loving, luscious, mild, mushy, patient, pet, pleasant, pleasing, precious, reasonable, saccharine, sweet-tempered, sympathetic, tender, thoughtful, treasured, unselfish, winning, winsome.

Hmm, I don't know, what do you think?  Does that sound like me?  

I guess being sweet is a good thing, generally speaking anyway.  I haven't been so sweet recently though...I got tired of being used and trampled.  When did being sweet ever get me anywhere?  

I don't know what to be.