The Most Beautiful Thing

This is written for the WOWH (Writing our Way Home) "most beautiful thing blogsplash" challenge:

Tuesday the 24th of April, we're having a Blogsplash to celebrate beautiful things, inspired by my new novel, 'The Most Beautiful Thing'.

People from all over the world will be writing about their own most beautiful thing.

My Most Beautiful Thing

What is my 'Most Beautiful Thing'? What would I pick? I had to think hard on that one. There are a lot of beautiful things in our world - Nature, music, love... but what would I pick for MOST?

Well... to answer that I need a few props, some patience and audience participation. Are you willing to give this a try? Good. :-) Go find a mirror, preferably small enough to have here by this screen you’re reading, but how you bring words to mirror is up to you. Print me out and tack me to the mirror in the bathroom, take your laptop to a mirror. Whatever works for you.

And no, you probably don’t know why I’m asking you, so do it first and then figure it out! ;-)

So, you’re by a mirror… look into it and tell me, what do you see? I know – you see yourself, but what exactly is your self?

Now at this stage some of you are looking at your reflection and thinking this is crazy because “I am too”. You know the list of toos?

…too fat, too old, too bald, too different,

too darn UGLY to EVER be called beautiful!

(and then again the really vain are standing there thinking, “Oh my GOD, she’s so right!”)

Actually, you are all wrong.

I don’t care what you LOOK like, I care about HOW you look.

So do it – look.

No, I’m not crazy… LOOK. Not at wrinkles or thinning hair, not at double chins or the wrong style of nose/lips/eyes/skin colour for the world’s latest cultural/fashion bias. I’m not talking about reflections. Reflections aren’t reality so they can’t be real beauty either, can they?

Look again.

What makes you here and able to look at this reflection in a mirror and comprehend both what you are looking at and the words that drove you to do this? What lies beyond the reflection?

If I created a perfect holographic 3D image of your face and body, maybe even “tweaked” it into the “perfect” shape/age/type it could never even come close to the beauty you are on the edge of seeing in that mirror.

Can you see it now? It’ll show in a change in your eyes as your brain does the “ohhh, I get it!” thing. It takes no words, no gestures to see that change. It’ll be there in your eyes at the moment you sees the beauty of reality in your reflection.

What word you choose for that beauty is up to you. I’m not picking one. Your word is yours alone, but for some who might want a hint I’ll name a few you might consider:

conscious awareness, Life essence, the human spirit, soul…

You see, the word is inconsequential. It’s all about the essence that you are looking at right at this moment. That’s what makes you beautiful – that’s what makes you YOU.Isn't it amazing and incredible and... beautiful?

This

is my most beautiful thing.