I remember Joe used to tell me that I was prettier now than when he first met me. I would look in the mirror and see bags under my eyes, dark circles and more gray hair than I saw the day before. "oh, he's just saying that to be nice" I would always think. "There is NO WAY anyone could this is attractive" I would always think.
The guy I was seeing for a while called me up late one night and asked me to come over. I had spent the evening home alone and hadn't done my hair or makeup that night. I said "oh, I can't come over. I'm ugly. I have no makeup on and my hair isn't done". He says "I don't care, just come over". When he saw me he said I looked beautiful. I didn't feel beautiful. But then again, one night when I was all dolled up for him he said "you're so pretty with no makeup on". I wasn't sure if I should be flattered (thinking to myself, buddy, this is the best I'm ever gonna look with a full face of makeup on) or insulted that he didn't notice I went out of my way to look nice for him. Whatever, I just went with it. If he wanted to believe that I looked that pretty with no effort at all, I wasn't going to stop him.
Tonight I went to my fave open mic night. My hair was unwashed and I had no makeup on except mascara. A guy that I've gotten to know a bit there says "you know, you get more beautiful every time I see you". I'm thinking to myself "guy, my hair is dirty and I have no makeup on" but I simply say "well, thank you" because I HATE when people can't take a compliment.
But my point is, when we look in the mirror we do NOT see what other people see. The gray hair and the wrinkles and the few extra pounds are NOT ugly. The people that love us (and the people we love) look beyond that to the people we are inside and that's what they see. But why can't I see it?
