Sunday 3 March 2013

'My Beauty'

I attended a concert last night. The concert was primarily organised by a beautiful teacher with a positive attitude towards life and her students. The concert was a fundraiser and the funds will be used to assist and benefit a student suffering from cancer with his medical expenses. Please say a prayer for this student.

 It was a great concert and one thing is certain, great talent can be found in every nook and cranny of the Anguillian society. The teachers of the ALHCS are certainly a talented bunch.

I enjoyed all the songs, dances, dramatisations, fashion shows etc. When I was thinking about what to write about today, one item stood out in my mind though. It was a poem written by and presented by a teacher named Amethyst. The poem was entitled ‘My Beauty.’

The poem was well written and well presented. It is true that no one could have presented the poem better than the poet as the poem spoke to her feelings on the subject.

The poem covered many thought and ideas on ‘Beauty.’  For example, the poem delved into the heart of how women too often judge themselves extremely harshly on their physical appearance and how women too often engage in unrealistic comparisons with others including superstars.  

We all know that this happens all too regularly. I dare say that it is not only young girls who feel pressured to look a certain way, to always have their hair, nails and makeup done, dress a certain way, be a certain size – to fit in.

There is certainly no crime in looking good. I certainly feel good when I look good. The tragedy occurs when our self-worth is determined by how we look and it is equally tragic when we judge and criticise others because their appearance doesn’t meet our ‘standards.’

As women, we really do come in all sizes, shapes and colours and our beauty really isn’t about what’s on the outside. Sometimes a perfectly made up face is hiding years of hurt or the illusion of beauty quickly fades when you realise that an ugly attitude lurks behind the ‘face.’

Today, let us determine that while we will continue to take care of our physical appearance, we will focus more attention on what is really more important when it comes to beauty. It is our attitude and our outlook on life. It is our ability to give and to care and to love. It is about our passion and our ambitions. It is about finding time for family and spending time with friends sharing laughter and smiles. This is where true beauty lies. The rest is almost just an illusion. It is true that outward beauty fades.  When it is gone take a minute today to think about what will remain.

Say Yes to focusing more energy on improving your inner beautiful self today!

To read more about me, do check out my other blog My Anguilla Experience.

Thanks for reading!