I was born and raised in New Jersey but every summer we
would visit my father’s family in Miami Florida for Summer Vacation. We would
stay at my Grandmother’s house or Nana as we would call her. Nana did not speak
English, and I did not speak Spanish very well, yet somehow we communicated
beautifully. My Nana’s home was welcoming and accented with beauty. It wasn’t
overpowering, just pleasantly beautiful. There was the sparkle from the crystal
teardrops hanging from her lamps and the curves on the furniture that caught
ones attention. Upon entering her home, you knew that beauty was important to
her.
As for her appearance, the same held true. Nana had a
beautiful olive complexion and wore her dark brown hair curled up in a beehive
style. She wore a flattering shade of red lipstick and not much more in the way
of makeup. She loved gold jewelry and stylish clothes. Her elegant style always
caught my attention. I knew as a young girl that my Nana was beautiful. My
“little girl eyes” knew she was older, but after all she was a Nana and Nana’s
were supposed to be older! My “little girl eyes” didn’t judge age; they simply
took in the grace and beauty of my Nana.
Now I can’t talk about my Nana’s inner world because I know
nothing about that, but I do know that she presented acceptance, beauty and
grace to the world, and I am a better woman because of her.
Looking your personal best will change as life changes. As women
we go through many phases, cycles and states of being--from young woman,
mother, mature woman, pregnancy, sickness, weight gain and so on, yet we can
still make a choice to look our personal best. This isn’t about letting society
determine our beauty--it is about us determining our own Beauty! When it comes
to determining our own beauty I can’t help but think of the beautiful Japanese
philosophy of Wabi Sabi. This philosophy sees imperfection as ideal because it
says that perfection doesn’t exist and flaws are seen as adding interest. So
when determining your own beauty keep in mind that those beautiful laugh lines
are a sign of experience and the blessing of being able to smile.
All too often we get caught up in the notion that youthful
beauty is the only beauty that exists. By doing this, we not only hurt
ourselves--we also deny our daughters, granddaughters, nieces and all the young
girls in our lives the chance to see us as beautiful through their “little girl
eyes”. Without healthy role models, we make it that much more difficult for
them to accept their own beauty throughout the seasons of their lives.
Being beautiful is a lifelong decision. Please don’t fall
into the trap of assigning beauty to a particular age. Make up your mind right now to Be Beautiful Always!