True Beauty

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I say that beauty extends far beyond this superficial application. Beauty is in the mind of the beholder, not the eye: for beauty is not as much an outward quality as it is an inward attribute. Beauty is an appendage of someone’s character. Something not only seen, but felt.

To say that someone is beautiful means very little unless you know that person, and have seen the beauty of their life. A compliment to the outward appearance is pleasing for a time, but fades as its beauty dims with age.

The lasting compliments come from those who know and can honestly testify to the beauty of the person. It speaks louder, means more, and is felt much more deeply when those you know and love can say to you: “You are beautiful”.

A few nights ago I was working on a blog post in the living room while a dear friend of mine was decorating the tree for Christmas. We talked about a great many things, but it was then I realized what beauty really is. Beauty is really a metaphysical element that exists in all living things. 

To tell someone they are beautiful is as easy as talking to them, laughing at their jokes, sharing in their pain, listening rather than speaking, and just being with them and being there for them. Those little things tell them that they are loved, they are wanted, they are beautiful inside and out, to you.
There are many people whom I care very much about, but rarely get the opportunity to actually spend time with and let them know that they are beautiful to me: beautiful in character, beautiful in personality, beautiful in the physical sense, and beautiful in the spiritual sense. It’s not often easy to articulate it because we tend to overlook how much an “I love you”, or a, “you are beautiful”, or even a simple, “you’re a good friend”, means to others. I regret that I do not explicitly tell those I love, how much I truly care. It’s a fault of mine to take for granite those I care about the most.

For all of my family, close and extended, for all of my friends from Florida to Canada, from LA to Uganda, and from England to Australia: you are beautiful to me. 

That’s all it takes. Just let people know you care, that you think they are amazing, wonderful, and beautiful.

As always, thanks for reading.

—the anonymous novelist