You are beautiful... No matter what they say

Yes it's a lyric.

Cheesy for a title I know.

But I've been thinking. Shock horror. Yes, I actually have.

I've been thinking about beauty.

What is beauty?

beau·ty   
[byoo-tee] Show IPA
–noun, plural -ties.
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).
2.
a beautiful person, especially a woman.
3.
a beautiful thing, as a work of art or a building.
4.
Often, beauties. something that is beautiful in nature or in some natural or artificial environment.
5.
an individually pleasing or beautiful quality; grace; charm: a vivid blue area that is the one real beauty of the painting.
6.
Informal . a particular advantage: One of the beauties of this medicine is the freedom from aftereffects.
7.
(usually used ironically) something extraordinary: My sunburn was a real beauty.
8.
something excellent of its kind: My old car was a beauty.

(Taken from dictionary.com)


Throughout my life, I always wanted to be beautiful. I hope I am not alone when I say, I don't think I am the only one who has ever felt this way. Why as humans do we strive for perfection? Perfection of a look that does not exist.

Surely, the sole reason that people dye their hair, or fake tan themselves, or paint their nails, or cut their hair even is for the purpose of being more attractive. People say 'It is because I feel more confident in myself'.

Fair enough. But let me put it to you this way: If nobody in the world dyed their hair, if nobody painted their nails and we all walked round a la caveman chic... Then would you still go against the norm and decide you wanted straight/long/blonde/curly/purple hair? Really? I know I wouldn't.

I think beauty is a very dangerous word. It makes people strive for the wrong things in life. Of course, when the word is handled carefully then it can be seen as merely 'enhancing' your current assets. But not for all of us.

I know I would much rather be desired for my attitude, my morals, my beliefs, my intelligence and my ability to participate in an intelligent conversation. Oh and did I mention, my writing ability?! (Shameless, I know! But it's gotta be done!)

The same applies with beauty of an object. I love nothing more than putting my glasses on (Yes I am getting old... I need glasses to see. This scares me.) and looking. Looking out of my window. Looking around my room. Looking at my animals. Anything really.

I, for one, don't look at an old, withering tree and think 'Oooooh. This has an excellent use for making paper or for giving a home to hundreds of insects and birds.' No. I would much prefer to look at a tree with an abundance of leaves, dancing along with the wind.

So really, beauty is all around us. Beauty is not something we can get away from. It's how we interpret that beauty which is important. An object or person should not be judged on beauty alone. We should instead, wish to look further, beneath the skin of someone or something to truly appreciate it's value. What is good about the human race, is that the saying is true 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' So fortunately for mankind, what is beautiful to one person may not be so beautiful to another. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.

Wow, I am really going for it with all the proverbs today. I'm not sure what the point of this post is. I had a sudden urge to take note of what I was thinking, so there you go.

In other news, I am back at home relaxing for a few weeks looking after the animals whilst failing miserably to do some much needed catching up. I did, however, manage to bake a batch of cakes yesterday. This for someone who's best dishes include buttered toast and noodles, is quite an achievement I think.

So, what do you find beautiful?