This and that

Something I read today really caught me off guard. It was from an article titled “You Don’t Have to Be Pretty.” 

“You Don’t Have to Be Pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone… you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.’” The article went on to say that it doesn’t mean one owes it to feminism to not be pretty but that “prettiness” is not an obligation. I don’t know why this was so surprising to read; perhaps it’s because our culture implies that to be successfully female, you must be pleasant for others to see, following the ideals of fashion and beauty. What is beauty anyway? Our culture has so deeply distorted the concept, and many of us have taken it in and believed it without even realizing it. I’m not saying that I don’t want to be pretty (who doesn’t want to feel good about themselves?) What I’m saying is that it is way more important to love myself than to appeal to the general idea of “pretty.” 

http://www.dressaday.com/2006/10/20/you-dont-have-to-be-pretty/

Standing out on my deck, the city is covered in a hazy fog. The hushed roar of the sleepy town rings in the evening air. A solitary bird sings a lonely song. A train whistles softly in the distance. The fog covers the city, but there is a point at which it stops abruptly. The haze glows from the city lights, but it is so dense that it dims them. I look up and see the stars shimmering serenely, contrasting against the midnight sky. The half-moon dances off to my right, glowing, boasting of its beauty. I study its craters. My feet are frozen to the ground. Winter winds encompass me. I feel like I fit here. I feel like I am meant to be here. Feelings of insignificance and gratefulness flood over me. Who am I to experience all of this? I do not deserve any of it. Taking a deep, frosty breath, I close my eyes and thank God for all of this beauty. In this moment, I am overcome by a profound awe of the Creator. In this moment, I find deep meaning for my life. In this moment, I realize I am not alone. In this cold, dark January night, illuminated only by the stars and the moon, I see.