Time Tested

 

Time Tested Beauty Tips 

by Sam Levenson

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

(This poignant little poem is often mistakenly attributed to Audrey Hepburn, who quoted it frequently. My emphasis added.)

Contemplating Emerson

My favorite philosopher is Emerson.  He stated things so simply, clearly and truthfully.  He spoke his mind, even if it went against popular opinion.

Three great quotes from Emerson to ponder today in your quest for true beauty:

"There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us."


"Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait."


"Things are pretty, graceful, rich, elegant, handsome, but, until they speak to the imagination, not yet beautiful."

Questions I'm asking myself:

• How do I scatter joy?
• Where have I scattered pain?
• How do I demonstrate grace?
• What speaks to my imagination?

Xx
Coni

Embracing Your Scars

I've just started reading a new book "Little Bee" that has received very good reviews. I'm only a few pages into it and was stopped by a wonderful quote from the narrator, a Nigerian girl living in England: "I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because, take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."

I don't yet know what her scars are, but I'm sure they factor in the story and reveal much about her.  All of our scars reveal things about ourselves and instead of hiding, we need to embrace them.

I have a 4 1/2 inch scar that traces my collarbone.  It's the result of surgeries I had to fix the bone after it was broken in an accident.  The surgeon inserted a metal plate to heal the bone, waited 9 months, then went back in and took it out.  The accident itself was traumatic - and when the doctor told me I would need to have surgery to repair the bone he was apologetic about the requisite scar.  There's no way to hide the incision across that bone.  I thought I would be upset by the scar.  I thought my 'beauty OCD' would kick in and it would bother me (it's the same condition that makes me keep my nails polished nicely and legs shaved at all times!)

Surprisingly, I have come to see my scar as a badge of honor, in a way.  It's an accidental tattoo that acknowledges that I'm a survivor.  It's sort of sexy, even - makes me feel like a woman of mystery! (Hey, where did you get that scar? Knife fight?)

Most days I forget it's there unless someone points it out.  It hasn't changed what I wear or how I feel about myself and my beauty.  So, when I read that passage, it resonated with me.  The same attitude applies to all my scars.  I can look at the stretch marks from having three children and be distraught, or I can remember that I earned those marks and I have beautiful boys to show for it.  I see the scar in my left eyebrow where my brother and I ran into each other playing 'kick the can' in the dark when I was 10 and I remember my childhood.  Every scar has a story and deserves respect.

Padma Lakshmi, a former model and gorgeous television personality, has a prominent scar on her arm that she sees as something that makes her special.  "I've started seeing my body as a map of my life," says Lakshmi.  Her perspective is very inspiring!

Your assignment:  Look at your scars and remember how you got them.  What did you learn?  How can you embrace your scars to make them beautiful?

xx
Coni