Last week, preparing to fly to Atlanta to give a talk on co-occurring eating disorders and substance abuse, my husband approached me after my morning meditation/prayer time. I was sitting on the floor, unshowered, no makeup, full strength coffee breath, wearing sweat pants and a hoodie with my meditation candle still burning in the background. My husband came up and said, “You just look so good this morning…Beautiful.”
I laughed; he asked why. I told him I think of most men telling women they are beautiful when they are dressed up, bejeweled, made-up and at the very least, showered. He thinks workout clothes and no grooming is beautiful.
He then proceeded to tell me how he felt: “look at you, sitting here on the floor with a candle, healthy and sober, just having meditated, a doctor, taking care of women and girls at TK every day, about to go off to Atlanta and give a talk about something you are really passionate about and know a lot about. That’s beautiful, nothing fake or artificial.”
Clearly, he was looking at something other than what came to my mind when he said the word beautiful.
What a nice reminder of what real beauty is…it’s on the inside and expressed through us to touch the lives of those around us. And, it creates a deep and lasting happiness. Soul satisfaction. Peace.
You can’t find that at the hair dresser, or clothing stores, or in a bottle, or through a diet, or in an eating disorder, or at a plastic surgeon.
Real beauty is a gift from God to each and every one of us. Appreciate yours today.
