I get it. It's all understandable to me. As humans we seek out our flaws and can dwell on them more than the wonderful qualities we posses. It hurts me when I break myself down with harsh criticism and it hurts me even more to know that so many others do the exact same things.
An idea has been created. It is a sickening idea and it is that beauty is somehow a tangible thing. In reality, beauty is just an idea that has been formed in our heads. Here's my own idea: there is no specific definition of beauty.
Of course, in the dictionary there is a solid definition and it is:
beauty, noun:
1.
the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape,color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest). Now it is true. There are beautiful things that exist. Satisfying things are out there but that apparently is all that "beauty" consists of. Nature is beautiful, literature is beautiful, dance is beautiful, music is beautiful… people are beautiful. So much is beautiful. Everyone and everything has beauty. That may sound like a cliche sort of statement, but it still isn't said enough. No matter how many times it is said people will still define certain things as beautiful and certain things as ugly.
I think that beauty is all around. Look at the mountains how they are covered in trees. Fog hangs over them and it' s beautiful. Look at how a rainbow stretches across the sky after a rain storm. It is beautiful. The soft snow falling out your window as you sleep under a heap of blankets. Startlingly beautiful. The way the ocean waves kiss the shore is beautiful. You can close your eyes and hear the rush of the expansive sea and it is beautiful. The birds that sing and flowers that bloom are all beautiful. That lovely waterfall that cascades into a rushing river is beautiful. The way your dog knows when you are sad and licks your hand even after you punished him just that morning is beautiful. The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful because they represent a day of your life that has passed. A day in the world has gone by and you've lived through it. Isn't that beautiful? A butterfly is beautiful because it is strong. It is so small and fragile, yet it is able to fly itself across the sky. Trees are beautiful. They are planted in one place and can not move, yet they never complain. They are content on where they've been planted and they grow into strong and magnificent living creatures. They even clean the air for the same people that will later chop them down and that is beautiful thing.
Those are all natural things that posses beauty. There are millions of beautiful things in nature I didn't even mention. They surround us everyday and are sometimes never appreciated. Yet aren't they beautiful? Then there are feelings. I find feelings to be particularly beautiful things…
The sound of a crying baby is beautiful because that baby is alive. A new person has arrived in the world and has endless possibilities ahead. The sound of laughter is the most beautiful sound in the world. It's more beautiful than the most peaceful melody. Laughter is your own perfect song. Smiles are beautiful and words can be beautiful. Whether the words are spoken off a gentle tongue or written on a worn piece of paper does not matter. They are still beautiful. Being sad is beautiful because it means your heart is tender enough to care. Being elated and beaming is just as beautiful because it shows that even after you've been sad, you know how to find happiness again. Having a broken heart is beautiful, because it means you were able to risk yourself for someone else's love. Even though they let you down, you were strong enough to try in the first place. Being bold and brave is beautiful because it goes to show that you know the stakes but are willing to try anything once. Being shy is beautiful because it represents how much you care for yourself and will do anything to protect your own being. Love is my second favorite emotion. It is extremely beautiful because loving unconditionally takes a lot of courage. Spreading the love is the only way to make the world go round. That and hope. Hope is the definition of beauty because having hope means that no matter what, you believe in yourself and in life. In joyous moments and dour times, you know that hope is the small light peeking out of the darkness. Nothing can be quite as beautiful as that.
Finally, I find beauty in personal appearances. In the early 1900s, a woman was beautiful if she was bound in a corset and had a neck breaking hat a top her head. A man was attractive if he dressed in the finest suits. In the 50s, beauty was defined by starlet Marilyn Monroe, and other ladies with similar figures. A full body was the definition of beauty then. Today, the tables have turned. Runway models, celebrities, and almost anyone considered "beautiful" is incredibly thin, and as Tina Fey said best, "Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits." There is an impossible standard of beauty that time has created. I love that quote from Tina Fey so much because it is just beyond true. It is sickening once you see it all put together because it is honestly near impossible to achieve. No one is birthed from their mother's womb looking that way. I find beauty in different qualities because you know what's truly beautiful? The way a person's eyes light up when they talk about someone or something they love. That' s beautiful. I don't care if the eyes are poop brown or violet like Elizabeth Taylor's. They are beautiful. I think the way someone smiles after hearing good news or talking to someone they love is what's beautiful. Are your teeth pearly white and as straight as can be? Congratulations. If your teeth are yellowed and crooked, congratulations on that, too. You're alive and you're smiling and that is beautiful. I think it's beautiful how people run their hands through their hair if they are nervous. Gray hair is beautiful because is shows that you've lived and you've been blessed with the opportunity to grow old. Long hair is beautiful because it shows dedication and patience and short hair is beautiful because it shows that you style your hair however you please. The way your hair looks right when you wake up in the most beautiful because that is natural and real. The way your nose is bent because you broke it when you were eight years old is beautiful. There is a story behind that broken nose and goes to show you had an adventurous childhood. The stretch marks across a mother's stomach are beautiful, even though she may find them to be an embarrassment. For nine months a vulnerable being found safety within her womb, and her body was able to change itself simply to house and keep it alive. Your scars are the most beautiful thing on your body. No one on earth has a scar just like you and they make you unbelievably unique and interesting. One day, I want to hear how you got that scar on your hand or on your leg. I'll tell you this quick story: I have a scar on my left hand, between my thumb and pointer finger. I was baking cookies several months ago for my family. It was my special chocolate chip recipe and I was so excited to serve them with a glass of milk as it rained outside. As I was pulling the sheet from the oven, the mitt slipped and a small spot on my hand was burnt. I rinsed it with cool water and prayed it wouldn't scar. It scabbed over, and now there is a slight, faded scar. I love that scar and would you like to know why? (even if you don't I'm telling you anyway). I love it because the scar came to be through a loving act. I was baking my family a sweet treat of cookies when the sheet burnt my hand, and somehow I find that to be extremely beautiful.
So, let this all be a reminder. The things you hate about yourself are things others don't even notice. One day, someone special will notice but they will love you anyway. You may not be "model thin." Sometimes you may feel fat. But you are BEAUTIFUL. Your body has enough food to eat and that in itself is something to be grateful for. Would you rather have the problem of eating too much, or living in a place where you have no food to eat at all? Be happy with the life you have been given. Appreciate your "flaws" and understand that no one is perfect. We are all flawed, no matter how hard we try to cover it up. This messed up idea of "beauty" is only skin deep. Remember all those emotions and how beautiful they are. Think beautiful thoughts and always have hope. Never change who you are just to fit this standard society has placed before us.
I am close to tears as I conclude this lengthy post, because I am overwhelmed with the beauty that surrounds me. I am so grateful for it all and am vowing to appreciate it more. I know sometimes I will still frown because of my physical flaws, but I am promising to remind myself that I am beautiful. Remind yourself how beautiful you are, too, won't you? As I walk my dog I will appreciate the beauty in nature. As my brothers scream and cry, awaking me from sleep, I will remember to be grateful that they are healthy, safe, and with me. When my parents frustrate me, I will remember that because of them I am on this earth and no one will ever love me more than they do. Unconditional love is one of the beautiful things. I promise you that you are very, very beautiful. The most beautiful things lay within your heart. Love yourself first and all the love in the world will follow and be poured upon you with grace. You're beautiful. The world is beautiful. We are all beautiful. Always remember that. Until next time xxx.
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