With all of the health problems that have plagued my poor, fighting body within the past year, I've rarely had time to focus on anything else.
Yesterday, after over a week of living with an extreme allergic reaction covering my entire body, I had a day of reprieve; no rash! Our annual trip to our little, local holiday parade was before me and, even though I wasn't feeling my best, we decided to take our youngest daughter to the parade and festival.
We all got ready to go and I actually felt well enough to 'do' my hair, put on my usual minimal makeup (eye liner, mascara and lipstick) and out the door we went! We walked and walked and walked *and ate, lol* and, on the way home in the car, my husband remarked about how 'nice' it was that I had gotten 'dressed' to go out in public, did the time to do my hair and put on my makeup....without skipping a beat, I said 'well, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the 'natural' me.' Embarrassed, he stuttered 'there's isn't, you're beautiful without it but...'
The 'old' me would have been mortified and offended - how DARE he suggest that I'm not 'good enough' without all of that?!?!? *LOL* But the 'me' of today is totally secure and happy with the way that I look - no makeup and all. I've never really been one to wear much makeup anyway, but as of late, I wear absolutely nothing but a little pink tinted lip gloss. The 'old' me would never have gone out in public without blow drying my hair, putting on my eye makeup and making sure that I'm 'dressed to impress'.....and boy am I glad to have bid her 'adieu'!
Don't get me wrong, I take pride in my appearance. I just believe that I am a beautiful spirit EXACTLY as I am and love being able to walk around Au-natural!
The 'old' me had all of these hang-ups about what people may 'think' but the 'new' me knows that the opinion that matters most is MINE. It's what I believe about myself that effects me....not what anyone else thinks. I know that my beliefs about myself directly affect how brightly my light shines out into this world; and I can assure you that my light can't get much brighter!
Training to become a coach has helped me to understand how to become a better person by allowing me to evaluate my own life and the example that I want to set for my children. We are all beautiful creations with the ability to shine brighter than the sun. All we have to do is get out of our own way. The easiest way to begin? Stop judging....yourself and everyone else. See your own beauty. See your own light. Shine brightly and never let the judgmental opinion of anyone else *including television commercials, magazines or even 'friends'* make you feel less than the perfect creation of love that you REALLY and TRULY are.
The old me would have punished my husband for weeks for speaking his truth and then punished myself for months, hell, even years, for not 'being perfect'....but the new me LOVES who I am and all that I've become and can't wait to see how much better we can be in the years to come. WE are in control of this life - let's live it peacefully, in love and light so that, maybe, down the road, we can be 'the example' that people want to live by.
Love, light and all of the blessings of this amazing holiday season.
