One of my big life confessions is that I do almost nothing before I put myself out there in the world.  No make-up, generic body lotion, bar soap, no hair dying, no blow drying … literally nothing.  Don’t think I haven’t thought about it and some day the plucking of gray just won’t work.  But for now – nothing. Lazy I guess!

The other day I walked past an office door with the sign, “Inner Beauty Med Spa.”  After a little investigation, I learned that their idea of inner beauty is doing something to the outside.   I’m not buying that.  True inner beauty has very little to do with what happens to our outside or what we have or do.  It’s not easy to peg but we know it when we see it – and we know it’s inside.

Here’s my analogy:  Imagine an old building that has been re-painted a dozen times over the course of many years.  If you scraped the years of paint away, you’d likely find a pristine piece of wood or a room that is so natural, that you see its true inner beauty.

Inner beauty is also the peace you feel from a loving hug, or a great cry.  It’s the warmth we feel when we see people in love or making up after conflict.  We have a chance every day to feel and see inner beauty.  But how do we find it in ourselves?

Inner beauty is the most important feature in our human being.  The outside looks of a person may be the initial attraction, but it’s the every day actions of people, how they treat us and how they treat others that draws us to their inner beauty or their soul, if you like.

Love is an expression of inner beauty. Do you give love on a daily basis? Do you feel loved on a daily basis?   Do you feel compassion toward another human being when you see them in pain or suffering? Compassion comes from inner beauty.  You can also feel inner beauty by what you see outside.  For example, I once went to Banff and realized that I’d never seen or felt more beauty in my entire life.  But I felt it inside, in my heart.

So, I didn’t go inside Inner Beauty Med Spa. But if you want to, I’ll love you no matter what.  I just want you to know that you don’t have to do anything to find your inner beauty or for me to feel it.  I hope our daughters, sons, etc.  know that what is on the outside is not what we see and feel from the inside.  

Inner beauty is where it’s at.  Let’s try to remember that when we’re looking in the mirror and feeling worried about one thing or another.  Or when we see our kids doing the same thing.

Have a great rest of your weekend!