Beautiful

I met Gary’s wife Gertrude at the New Year’s Eve cocktail party. Gary is a passing acquaintance who sometimes grouses about his family life, but is otherwise a regular kind of guy. I had been led to expect his spouse’s appearance to be less than pretty. Upon the introduction, I reflexively proclaimed how stunningly beautiful she was. I instantly felt like I’d committed a faux pas. She intuited the awkwardness of the scenario and quickly thanked me for the compliment. After a few moments, we enjoyed a pleasant conversation of mostly small talk.

I now reflect that Gertrude is truly a beautiful person, inside and out. I wonder about the social meme about gorgeous women having less than attractive husbands. To say that Gary would never win a Mr. America contest is putting it politely. The contrast between Gertrude and Gary is something amazing to behold. But who am I to judge? Their relationship seems to be harmonious–they’ve been together for nearly 20-years. Apparently, they bring out the best of each other; and that’s a beautiful thing.

Aren’t we all rather romantic in our own, individualistic ways? Even the most outwardly cool, collected person feels twinges of emotions and intuition. Many people use these emotions masterfully to attract and charm others. I’m guessing that the curmudgeonly Gary let his hair down during his early efforts to attract Gertrude. Maybe they have a favorite tune that has become “their song”. Although Gary is not conventionally wealthy, I can imagine him trying to woo Gertrude with a fancy dinner followed by an intimate walk in the park afterwards. The fashion model pretty Gertrude broke through Gary’s default, cool nature.

In some circles, describing one’s admiration about a person’s beauty is nearly taboo. Perhaps this is because we don’t want to seem sexist, or be perceived as pervy. We can openly proclaim the beauty of sports cars, sunsets, flowers, or artistic masterpieces; but discussions of another person’s beauty outside of significant relationships can easily be misinterpreted. We rescue ourselves by mentioning the person’s beautiful personality or by saying that the person has a beautiful soul.

Meanwhile, I believe that most people have something beautiful inside their minds. We reveal that beauty by exploring our passions, and pursuing benevolent ideas and goals. Our imaginations manifest as we take action to create beautiful results. To be open to exploring our hobbies and passions more deeply is to reveal ever more inner beauty.

One might discover themselves to be on a special mission. The overarching goal might be romance, humanitarianism, altruism, or compassion. The mission might be to compose paintings, literature, music, or useful architecture. You visualize heartfelt peace and refuge for everyone involved. The “beautiful person” is ruled by emotions and practicality together because sentimentality alone feels superficial.

There are times when our inner beauty takes a recess break. We feel moody, jealous, and sulky. There is some frustration that our efforts to dream and create have been stymied. Our unhappy emotions take charge for awhile, especially when we don’t get our way. With forebearance and patience, the emotional storm will blow over and sunny, beautiful feelings will break through the dark clouds. We cultivate ever more beauty by physically working through the necessary tasks to manifest our vision. Immersing oneself in a constructive activity catalyzes a beautiful mind.

Character and integrity contribute to a person’s beauty. It fortifies a human being as youth merges into maturity. When one cultivates an ethical mode of conduct, exercises discipline, then lives with courage and fortitude in mind, a person enhances one’s innate personal beauty.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes 20th century Swiss-American psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the Sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”