you always wanted to know my secret, didn't you?

day eight.

task: share a beauty secret.

...do i have a beauty secret??

okay, first thoughts: initially, this is what i typed: i'm in college, so naturally, i don't have a whole lot of time to spend on my looks...  then i thought this: wait, what am i thinking?  this says beauty secret, not physical appearance secret.  it seems this whole idea of breaking away from the idea that beauty is absolutely tied to physical appearance is a little tough.  but progress is progress!  and while there is physical beauty, that's not just what beauty is...

SO.

now to my real beauty secrets....

1. get enough sleep, eat lots of vegetables, and exercise enough for your body.

i think it's beautiful to see a woman who is wide awake and alive with energy!  and really, that's achieved through health.  that healthy glow that some women seem to just have is not really as random as i used to think.  it comes from truly taking care of your body, trusting your body, and doing what's best for yourself.

2.  take time to look presentable, then forget about what you look like.

there are so many things in this life more important than the way we look.  while it's important to look presentable {so you can feel confident}, it's easy to overdo it, too.  set a certain amount of time in the morning to spend on your appearance and after that time allotment, don't think about it again.  the most beautiful and attractive women are the ones paying attention to things outside of themselves - not to themselves.

3. smile.

it doesn't matter what you're teeth look like.  a smile brightens any face and most people's day.  the most beautiful women in the world smile - a lot.  smile at the people in the grocery store, smile at your cat when you're telling him not to chew up your friend's slippers {true story}, smile at the burned spatula you left on the frying pan {also true story}... you get the picture.  for me, especially when things have the potential to turn stressful {or even disastrous}, a smile can turn things into a laugh and dissolve all that built-up tension.  isn't life better if we laugh and smile at it, anyway? :)