Happy May Day Beautiful!

Beauty.

I've always heard it's in the eye of the beholder.

So...what is it?

beau·ty

ˈbyo͞odē

noun

1. a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.

"I was struck by her beauty"

2. a beautiful woman.

"she was considered a great beauty in her youth"

That second sentence, ouch! Is beauty only in a woman's youth? I shudder to think. Maybe if in our minds we think that...maybe we stop even trying to be beautiful?

But today feels, finally, like Spring. The trees are budding, and some are even in full flower, and I feel beautiful in myself. I dress the part at least, putting on a new striped jumper from Nepal that I picked up for $20 on the street, pants that pull up into a loose strapless onesie. Perfect! Paired with an old Army jacket I got in Paris for $10 a decade ago, a cool wood necklace I stole for $30 at an art gallery in Maine (I got out quick before he changed his mind) and an assortment of bangles and scarves, I hit the street.

I have to hand it to the young men in construction. They are gracious and kind to us old broads who try. They will reward us with their cat-calls and make us feel...well, at least 42 again.

I ponder as I smile and wave and pass them by (I wish to God I could wink and look cool). How come I need other people to tell me I look beautiful? Why do I shrink and hide from my beauty as a woman, why do I feel nervous sharing myself and my best smile? Why on Earth would I get upset if someone deigned to appreciate me, and tell me?

Why indeed. It is on the news, it is everywhere. Fear.

"We are animals," another young man said a bit later, as I strolled through the park with my dog, Ginger. He and his friend were smoking blunts, and I'd joined them for a chat, making sure first that I wasn't interrupting anything important.

"Nah, we were just talking about girls," one of them said, and we all laughed.

"It's pretty much what we all think about, when it comes down to it," I said.

That's when he said it, the animal thing.

Beauty can be dangerous. It can make you prey. And yet...we cannot be afraid of one another, of appreciating one another openly. We cannot be afraid of our thoughts about what's beautiful, and what pleases our senses.

We can be afraid. Of course we can. Except I don't want to be. I want to feel alive. I want to live with beauty all around. I want to adorn myself in a way that hides the imperfections of my age and stage, I want to smile big, and enjoy my life. Cause what else is there?

Beauty is a spark, one of so many that can help you feel alive on this Earth.

Thanks to whatever spirit moved me to appreciate my own beauty and the beauty around me today. And thanks to you for reading. Tell me, what makes you feel beautiful??

Come tonight to celebrate beauty, and get in tune with all your senses. Join us from 5:00 - 6:00, every Tuesday in May, as the breeze blows in the door at Ellie Herman's Pilates Studio on 4th St., just in from 7th St. in Park Slope. The drums will lure you.

Shalom, Inshallah, Peace be with you.

Steph Thompson

Founder, Executive Director, InspireCorps

#beautyMayday #springinbrooklyn