Twelfth Night 018

Sometimes, you just want an excuse to dress up!

Though it is said that "beauty is only skin deep," real beauty shines out from within. Lack of confidence may cause us to feel less than perfect but it is what we are on the inside that matters.

When you are in conversation with someone, if their personality is shining through, do you really have the time or the inclination to study their face, thinking "HHMMM, those under-eye-bags could do with some attention," or "That tummy is a little large for my liking?" I know I don't, yet I have had times of being certain that people were doing it to me.

Yet, we are often our own worst critics, and our preoccupation with our appearance can have a huge impact on life. When we are comfortable with our bodies, we are comfortable with ourselves. And vice versa, I suspect.

When I feel good, I probably look better, but I am worrying less about how I look. And when I feel that I look better, I am more confident, I enjoy getting dressed, I enjoy feeling healthy, in body and mind and spirit....I think that probably applies to everyone.Health and fitness cease to be an issue, they just come naturally.

Of course, we should be aware of everything we inflict on our bodies, both what goes in and on them. Everything we put on our skin is absorbed to an extent. At the other extreme, however, obsessing about it will cause us stress. It is often noted that those who always diet have a constant weight problem.

There is a lot on the news at the moment about obesity trends. The point to remember is that none of it is set in stone.If people continue as they are, then yes, it could happen. Or, there is always freedom to dare to be different, to make changes to our lives that will bring about personal change, and that will change our families, our friends....the world.

And maybe, when we in the West have a more healthy attitude to food, and are able to share, we will see less famine elsewhere. When third world nations are growing food for themselves rather than for export, when the rain-forests are left to be rainforests, we will see a restored equilibrium on this earth.

Mighty trees grow from tiny seeds; if each of us is a seed of change, this world will be transformed.