Attractiveness

What makes people attractive? Hmmm. I think that it changes as time marches ceaselessly forward.

When I was in high school, it was about the perfect "Farrah" hair and the Sweet Orr's or Jordache jeans. It was about hanging with the "in" crowd and performing well in sports. Then it became the flaunting of the ever-fleeting 36-24-36, which has since been much more fleeting! Then it was the going out and seeing how much you could do with the funds you earned.

As I moved from my home state of New York to Georgia, it became more of finding a way to survive and then surviving in as healthy a manner as possible. When I locked lives with my future hubby, it was a matter of 'ensnaring' him in my wily ways. Once that was done, then the 'attractiveness' seemed to shift to my children. It was more about being a good mom and not so much about how people might perceive me. There really was no time to tread in the attractive pool as it was more important to dive into cleaning up after, nurturing, and teaching your kids.

And now, as my children are all growed up, I find that attractiveness has turned itself literally inside out. I no longer seek the disingenuous support of the approval of my physical attributes from others. I may not always like the way my body appears to others, but I take great pride in the attractiveness of my actions, my pursuits, and my endeavors. My efforts, and the sincerity of them, far outweigh the extra curves I might carry along with me. Attractiveness, it seems, blooms from the inside out and the greater the beauty of the soul, the more tremendous the fragrance and brilliance of the flower that is shared.

I sure wish I didn't have to go through so many steps to have wound up here, but it is the journey that tills the earth; the tears that water the bulb; and the obstacles of life that builds the stamina of the roots of those beautiful souls. Know, today, that you are attractive! Not because of your curves, or your hair, or your perfect bone structure. It is because of what lies within you! Cultivate it well!