A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that a colleague had done something new with her hair, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was.  She got bangs cut.  “They were cheaper than botox,” she said. Now, this woman has beautiful eyes – gorgeous, I tell you.  They remind me of Barbara Eden’s – kind of almond-shaped like the Magyars.  She had lost sight of her beautiful eyes, though, and saw only a lined forehead when she looked in the mirror.

That’s at least a little true for all of us, isn’t it?  We see our flaws to the extent that they become all we see.  After a lifetime, I still see myself as fat.  I don’t really know what size my body is. I turn sideways to go through two pieces of furniture or to walk between two people even though I may not have to anymore.  I still find myself looking in the XL racks in the women’s department.  I have usually already stopped at the Lane Bryant window before I remember that those clothes don’t fit me anymore.

Looking for a grey shrug, I stopped into a boutique in Nashville last week.  I saw a cute little jacket but wasn’t going to try the tiny thing on.  The saleslady gave me an odd look until I explained the whole situation to her.  She said, “Oh! You guys are my favorite people to dress!  You have no idea what size you are and you get so excited about how things look on you!”  Well, she was right on both counts.  And the tiny little jacket fit.

Also last week, my cousin Mary Katherine shared a blog with me: This Is How To Be Fat.  I loved it!  I love the account of the woman at the pool and how her confidence made her the most attractive woman there.  She was comfortable in her own skin.  In addition to the health benefits and stuff, isn’t that what we really want? To be comfortable in our skins?

It’s tough, though.  Everywhere we look, we are bombarded with subliminal or blatant messages telling us that something is wrong with us.  We are too fat, too thin (maybe not that one), too white, too black, too old, or too young (maybe not that one, either). Our teeth aren’t white enough or straight enough. Our car isn’t sexy enough. Our dogs’ coats aren’t even shiny enough and we don’t vacation in the right places.  Every day, all day long, we are told that we are Less Than. You know what? Nerts to that! (Totally not what I’m thinking right now, but this is a family show.)

Madison Avenue never met me or you! They have neither basis nor right to tell us that we are Less Than.

Let’s ignite our own inner fires today to show our strength and confidence.  Let’s go with it, comfortable in our own beautiful minds, spirits, and bodies.  If you are healthy, rock what you’ve got! Dress to show your confidence.  Get you some bangs cut. Or, pull your hair back and display what experience has given you. That’s the way to victoriously face this day and it’s way cheaper than botox.