Just   like   clothing   and   decorating   trends,   beauty   trends   are   ever  changing.   They   can   swing   from   one   extreme   to   another   such   as  board   straight   hair   to   big   Texas   hair,   big   butts   to   no   butts,   full  figured   to   Twiggy   skinny,   pencil   thin   eyebrows   to   Brook   Shields’  signature   thick   brows,   big   round   eyes,   Asian   eyes,…….I   think   you  get   my   point.   Fashion   magazine   Elle   has   this   look   as   the   up   and  coming  colors  for  this  fall.   I  think  if  most  of  us  walked  around  with  this   kind   of   makeup,   we   may   be   joining   the   ranks   of   the  unemployed.  What   is  considered  by  society  and  trendsetters   to  be  physically  beautiful  comes  and  goes  with  time.  But  unless  you  leave  this  world  at  a  young  age,  we  all  eventually  face  becoming  old  and  

wrinkled.    “Look  into  other  people  as  well  as  at  them”      Lord  Chesterfield  

   We  have  all  heard  the  clichés  that  beauty  is  skin  deep  or  beauty  is  in  the   eye   of   the   beholder.   There   is   truth   to   this.   True   beauty   does  come   from  within   ones   soul.   I   think  we   all   know   a   person   or   two  that   is   quite   physically   attractive   upon   first   impression.   But   when  you   get   to   know   them,   they   lose   some   of   the   allure   that   you  thought   was   there.   To   be   blunt,   their   soul   is   ugly.   On   the   other  hand,  we  also  know  people  who  may  not  fit   into  the  mold  of  what  society   says   is   beautiful   ,   however,    they   have   a   certain   shine   to  them  that  undeniably  attracts  others  to  them.  They  are  perceived  as  beautiful.    There  is  a  guy  that  I  have  followed  on  Twitter  for  about  a  year  that  tweets  the  sweetest,  uplifting  and  inspiring  messages.  To  me,  he  IS  a   beautiful   and   confident   man.   His   name   is   Paul   V.   Harris   and   his  story  is  a  remarkable  one.  He  was  in  an  automobile  accident  that  left  

him  burned  over  85%  of  his  body.  He  was  pronounced  dead  3  times  but  ultimately  lived  to  tell  his  tale.  He  is  badly  scarred  but  as  I  watch  his   videos   I’m  drawn   to   the  person   that   he   is   on   the   inside   rather  than  the  scars  that  are  quite  visible  on  the  outside.  

 If  we   solely   rely   on   our   physical   attractiveness   for   confidence   and  worth,   then   what   would   happen   if   our   appearance   quickly   and  drastically  changed?  Accidents  and  disease  can  disfigure  a  person  in  horrific   ways  in   the   blink   of   an   eye.   If   you   aren’t   happy   with   the  person   you   are   on   the   inside,   then   how  would   you   cope  with   the  loss  of  your  physical  beauty?  The  ability  to  be  beautiful   is  within  all  of  us.  We  don’t  have  to  experience  life  changing  events  to  find  that  person.  I  encourage  all  to  do  some  soul  searching  and  discover  how  we  can  each  become  the  beautiful  individual  God  intended  us  to  be.    Now  I’m  not  stating  that  we  need  to  stop  doing  what  we  do  to  be  physically   attractive.   I’m   just   as   vain   as   the   next   person.   I   pay  attention  to  beauty  trends  and  embrace  the  ones  that  I  like.  I  enjoy  spa  treatments  and  coloring  my  hair.   I   invest   in  various   lotions  and  potions   that   make   age   defying   promises   just   like   most   other  women.  But  I  pray  that  I’m  viewed  as  a  beautiful  person  at  my  very  core.  Because   let’s   face   it,  unless   I  start  emulating  Joan  Rivers  and  sign  up  for  repeated  plastic  surgery,  I’m  going  to  get  more  wrinkles  and  my  workouts  will   only   keep   things   in  place   for   so   long  before  

gravity   wins.   It’s   my   desire   to   age   as   gracefully   as   possible   but   I  know   that   one   day,   I  will   be   facing   an   old  woman   in   the  mirror.   I  want  to  love  that  woman  with  the  wrinkled  grin.    Sometimes   I   wonder   what   it   would   be   like   if   short,   skinny,   top  heavy,  no  butt,  brown  eyed,  curly  haired  women  with  one  weird  big  toe,  was  en  vogue  ALL  AT  ONCE!  It  would  be  like  hitting  the  mother  lode  for  me!  But  that  hasn’t  happened  yet  so  I  guess  I  have  to  keep  on   improving  who   I   am  on   the   inside,  working  with  what’s  on   the  outside,  and  loving  life.