THE FINISHED PRODUCT

My daughter has a friend who, as long as I have known her since she was about 4th grade, has been just a natural beauty.  No effort, usually no makeup, no updo's, no glitz, no frills, just simply untouched raw beauty.  She is the type that literally wakes up in this beautiful natural state which she just resides in like a custom built house.  The thing is she really doesn't fully grasp her own amazing born with it beauty which only helps to make her even more beautiful.  I have needed some help and age to move to a partial state of moderate looks. A very late bloomer I was in all things pubertyish and beauty.  I realize that none of us really truly see ourselves properly.  It's as if we are looking through the bottom of an old Coke bottle.  Two people in the course of my life have told me, "You just can't help being beautiful.  Can you?  Even when you cry you are beautiful."  I think I just shook my head in amazement of what love bouncing off the back of a retina can do.  A few days ago I spent the better part of the day with my daughter.  We have a routine on some Wednesdays  - coffee/lunch/or breakfast at Panera, talking about all sorts of things, laughing, then shopping - sometimes a necessity like groceries and other times, just browsing.  This week we shared about creativity, its pitfalls in our lives, how it affects mood, our desires to take our own areas of creativity somewhere further down the road.  I encouraged her and she me.  Our last stop for the day was groceries.  I, hating even grocery shopping, was just plowing through the aisles looking for what I needed not really totally paying attention to people around me.  My daughter slides up beside me declaring that she really wanted to say something to me that means alot to her.  I stop, turn and wait for what I expect to be special, meaningful, important even.  She hugs me close and with great excitement says, "Mom, I am so glad that when we go out you look great.  You are put together."  I am lost and puzzled over her strange, but sweet compliment.  She continues her excitement over my physical public presentation skills by jumping up and down and getting excited as she continues, "I am SO thankful you don't dress like the lady down the aisle who came to the store in her black tennis skirt at 55 years old and pounds that would be better served covered up a bit more!"   I laughed that I merely had won by comparison.  I assured her with great confidence that I would not wear a tennis skirt in the grocery store, ever.  Nor would she find elastic waisted polyester pants on me.  Ever.  I might not wake up beautiful, but I am not going to purposely detract from the beauty that I do have!   At least not purposely or if I have my right mind:)