Reared as we were in a youth and beauty oriented society, we measured ourselves by our ornamental value. —Janet Harris
Rare is the person who doesn’t long for a svelte body, pretty teeth, a smooth complexion. Rare is the person who feels content, truly satisfied with their total person. We are often torn between wanting to be noticed and yet not wanting eyes to gaze upon us.
We are all that we need to be today, at this moment. And we have an inner beauty, each of us, that is our real blessing in the lives of others. Our inner beauty will shine forth if we invite it to do so. Whatever our outer appearance, it doesn’t gently touch or bring relief where suffering is—like our words which come from the heart, the home of our inner beauty.
Perhaps a better mirror for reflecting our true beauty is the presence or absence of friends in our lives. We each have known stunning looking individuals who seemed to cast only cold glances our way or arrogantly belittled others. It’s our inner beauty that is valued by others. The surprise in store for each of us is discovering that the glow of our inner beauty transforms our outer appearance, too.
My beauty today will be enhanced by my gentle attention to the other people sharing my experiences.