Friday, October 9, 2009

Inner Beauty on the Outside

Every once and a while I take a picture of Mandy or look over at her at a random moment get this feeling of surprise, thinking to my self, “Wow, she is so beautiful.”  I know I am prejudiced.  I’m fully aware that I see more beauty in her than someone else might because she is my daughter and I love her.

 Mandy October 2009

What is funny to me is that this phenomenon, of me seeing outward beauty in someone because I love and care about them, extends way beyond just my children.  Whenever I meet someone, I, because I am an extremely visual learner, take that first impression and store it away in my brain as a picture of the person tied with my initial thoughts of the person, i.e. whether they were kind, nice, eccentric, rude, etc.  Then as I get to know a person more, if I begin to note more and more positive personality attributes in the person, somehow the person outwardly becomes more and more beautiful to me.  I’ll notice the symmetry of their eyes or the brightness of their smile or the way their hair perfectly frames their face.  However, if as I get to know a person more I begin to see more and more negative personality attributes, like selfishness, entitlement, rudeness, etc., for some reason I begin to notice more and more their less than attractive features.  I’m sure other people must feel this way too, at least to some degree.  Right?  Does someone’s personality affect how you categorize their outward beauty?

3 comments:

Mandi said...

First you are 100% right! Mandy is a beautiful little girl. On the inside as well as the outside I can honestly say I have never seen her unhappy. She always has a smile or a complete attitude of sweetness.

Second I thought about all the people that are in my life and you were right. The people who had bad attitudes the kind that complain about the lemon verses making lemonade to me were less attractive. The ones that seem so happy and pleasant to be around, I think of beautiful. I had never noticed in my mind the connection. Very Interesting

Becky Shuler said...

Ditto what Mandi said!

And I must love you a whole lot because you have ALWAYS been the most beautiful little girl and woman to me.

Becky Shuler said...

Mandy is beautiful and has her Mama's pretty smile! :)