The Cover of Our Own Magazine

We are a culture obsessed with beautiful things. Be it our homes, our automobiles, our appearance or the appearance of those with whom we associate, being beautiful is a full time, all encompassing drive. There are so many challenges with this beauty obsession that I do not dare get started, so I will travel this path instead. The words in this quote say it simply and clearly, everything has it’s beauty, but not everyone sees it.

We had our Japanese family visiting, and the oldest daughter had an interesting insight about Americans. We were seated in an outside mall and she commented, “Everyone here looks different from everyone else. None of you look alike, which is incredible!” I was taken aback by her comment, so I asked her to explain. She said, “Back home we all look basically the same – same size, same color hair, same eyes, there is no variety.” I had never thought of it that way. I loved that she found the beauty in our different-ness and admired the fact that no one really cared that we were all so different.

Now she might see things differently if she spent much time around us, yet her point and this quote remind us that being different, unique and unlike anyone else IS what makes us beautiful! Not everyone sees that or gets it, yet those of us who do know the power in finding the beauty in each person we encounter. We use politically correct terms like diversity, identifying, inclusion and even being ‘woke’, yet in reality we still seek a definition of beauty with parameters. As humans we are more comfortable with people like us when in reality there are not always many people like us! It is what makes us unique and an individual that makes us strong, we simply need to affirm and remind ourselves of that everyday.

Today I would encourage you to pull out a piece of paper and write down the things that make you beautiful. Not just about your appearance, about your skills, talents, the way you think, the things you say, and how you make decisions. If you can’t think of any – which is an entirely different blog topic – ask a friend for help. Make a top ten list about your special, beautiful attributes, then post it on your bathroom mirror. Read it for a week while you brush your teeth and see if how you “feel” about yourself gets better. We need to be reminded and encouraged about the things that make us beautiful, even if that list will never get us on the cover of a magazine. It is more than enough to live on the cover of our own lives and savor our wonderful, beautiful self each and every day.