Real Beauty

Friends, oh my this is not my typical DIY post.  I am both equally honored and nervous to be part of this amazing I am Brave and Beautiful series and talk about Real Beauty.  Go grab a few kleenex.  Click and listen to the you tube video of Colbie Caillat’s song ‘Try‘ before going on.  Hopefully it will touch your heart, like it did mine.

I received the email from Megan about this I am Brave and Beautiful movement and listened to Colbie’s song and thought, “Wow.  This is really powerful… for others to do.  I’m not a fashion blogger, I’m hardly even a lifestyle blogger.  This is not the platform I typically use to share my thoughts on life, religion, etc.”  I quickly moved the email to the bottom of my email list and believe me, it’s a loooong email list.

A week later, I heard Colbie’s ‘Try’ song come on the radio and got to thinking.  Yes, I mostly share my creative side here but I am working really hard on being authentic and not portraying that simply because I have learned how to style a scene for a pretty picture, that my life is peaches and cream, easy peasy.  I started a mini series called “the REAL delineate” just a fun spot to share that my life is messy and imperfect sometimes and that’s totally okay.  So… after much worry and with a shaky hand, I signed up.

And guess what, I survived and it’s actually quite freeing (and I only took 57 pictures to find these two that I’m sharing!).  However… I probably won’t be sporting the new no makeup look on a regular basis, but it feels wonderful to share the real me.

We were asked to share Why we don’t have to try so hard to impress the world.  Why it’s okay to be you and to “take our makeup off, let your hair down, take a breath…”

I was really shy growing up.  Junior High and High School were not bad, just not my favorite years.  I was so excited to get to college and finally start a fresh and just be me.  Pick new friends.  Make a  new path.  As is for many, those were wonderful growing life years.  I think I was slowing growing into myself and learning a bit more how the world worked and how I fit into it.

Most of us look to people to give us the validation we need.  We judge our self worth by what friends, parents, teachers, coworkers and sometimes even strangers say about us.  The problem with that is this, if we depend on others to give us love and praise and self worth… we will always always be left wanting and left disappointed.  People are people and sometimes people are pretty crappy.  Believe me, I know.

Now at 34, I’ve become a very confident person.  There isn’t much I don’t think I could accomplish if I put my mind to it.  Now I enjoy being different, having short hair, not always going with the grain.  I’ve learned I can not depend on people for my value in life.  My only hope and my worth come from the light and beauty that Christ has given me.  No one can take that from me. It is the light and love of God that cannot be quenched, no matter what life, people and circumstances do to us.  I try live a life that’s loving, joyful and caring and hopefully that shines through to others.  So, why do I not need to ‘try so hard’ well because my worth doesn’t come from this world, it comes from Christ.