Natural Beauty

(I have no time to write a blog tonight-but this situation really struck me today. It is short and sweet..)

There I was at the nails place getting a pedicure done for my upcoming vacation and I see two girls chatting getting their manicures done.

They were strangers and had noticed each other at the salon and hit it off and started having a big conversation, and exchanging phone numbers and calling their boyfriends and telling them that they had each met a new friend while there.

They seemed to really, really get along.

They kept saying to eachother how similar they were and how much they had in common ( well at least as much as one could decipher in 5 minutes that is!)

What was interesting from the outside is how I thought  how both of these girls were polar opposites as far as I was concerned.

Both would have been considered from society as very attractive. Much more attractive than average; but two totally different looks.

What impacted me about this situation is how much more fond of one type of beauty I am than the other. I am almost prejudiced about the other type of beauty-it annoys me!.

Beauty number 1 was tall and had platinum blond hair with long extensions, False eyelashes caked with makeup, red lipstick, fake boobs and was wearing “causal clothes” with high high boots. Her nails that she gets done 3 times per week she said were longer than my little finger. She worse a fur vest over her track suit and showed huge cleavage.

She went out to smoke cigarettes three times during a span of 15 minutes.

Beauty number 2 had just come from a school soccer game where she was on the team. Hair up in a ponytail with a sparkly headband to push her sweaty hair off her sweaty face. Short, shorts making visible a set of gorgeous and sculpted and athletic limbs. Little hoody with the hood worn over her head in the rain. Not a stitch of makeup. Cross trainers on her feet. Gorgeous and expensive purse and wallet and tasteful french manicure with short, square nails. Her eyes sparkled and her hair shone.

I am convinced if I gotten closer she would have smelled like baby powder.

Fresh faced and beautiful she was. I realized in that moment how much more I relate to the second girl. How much more inspired I am by her. How much more beautiful I think she is.

She did not need a single thing except for her smile, her happy eyes and a whole lot of confidence (ok her hot body helped!)

I pray my daughter one day has the confidence and self assurance as beauty number 2. I think in reality I was looking at her so closely and appreciated her because she reminded me of my own daughter in so many ways…freshly scrubbed and wholesome. Shining from the inside out.

I found it strange from the outside to look in on this conversation and wonder what these girls actually had in common? It was not for me to judge. Only to wonder.

I felt sorry for Beauty number 1. I felt sorry for all the energy that went into her look that I thought was utterly wasted. I felt sorry for her that her time was spent in a nail salon as opposed to a soccer field. I felt sorry for her that likely someone along the way in her life had mad her feel that without a pile of makeup-she was not worthy or beautiful at all.

I had to stop myself from getting up and putting a cold facecloth in her face full of Nivea Cream and rubbing off her layers to see what was underneath it all.

I am sure she was indeed very lovely.

I am so thankful in my own life and in my daughter’s life too…..that we do not feel compelled to wear an extra layer and shield ourselves from our naturalness. I feel happy that people love us and appreciate us for our smiles, our sparkles and for the bodies that hold us up every day.
I feel blessed that both she and I in a heartbeat would choose quality time with others and experiences over long episodes of nails, makeup and long sessions of hair of nails. We choose life. (So far that is- let’s see when my own little  Beauty is 5 yrs older!!!!)

And not to say that I am against taking time to look attractive…..I have spent more than a fair share on blow-dries; highlights and lip gloss so don’t get me wrong. I love clothing and buy a lot of it.  I believe in looking your best. But naturally.
I would not give a second thought to walking out my door, hair in ponytail, a coat of lip-gloss on my lips and a tracksuit (or pyjamas for that matter!) and hitting the grocery store.

For work I have to look more polished for sure-but my regimen is 15 minutes maximum. I feel like I would die of boredom if it was longer than that. What’s the point anyways????? If you can’t fix it in 15 minutes then why bother?

I became very thankful for the big joke that my husband has with all of our couple friends that they all tease me about where he says “She does not need any new clothes, or purses, or shoes. She is a natural beauty!!”

Thank you hubby. After today I will take that as the highest complimentJ I know the underlying message to me-is to stop spending money, but still I think that you and I are on the same page when it comes to beauty.

You can dress her up all you want. Real beauty is much, much more complicated than a long pair of nails and a fake pair of eyelashes. True beauty is a combination of everything you naturally have……and your positive attitude toward it. You have to appreciate yourself inside and out to have others appreciate you too. Start with yourself-the rest will follow.