Je Ne Sais Quoi: Beauty Begets Beauty

Hello friends, and Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! I did some shopping and gardening and baking, and feel fairly refreshed for this week, which is good because I have a lot in store for us (including another FREE GIVEAWAY and a NEW COLUMNIST!). But before all of that, I was thinking this weekend about one of my favorite all time movies, Strictly Ballroom. Have you seen it? It is quirky and absurd and full of color and romance. The story centers on the frumpy Francesca who transforms into a beautiful and graceful lady floating across the screen. Naturally there is an evil step-mother, some fancy ball-gowns, and a prince charming.

Apart from the dancing, which I LOVE with my whole heart...and dream of someday gliding my own slippers across a ballroom floor wearing diamonds and pink chiffon on the arm of a gentleman...

Ahem--as an aside, this will never happen because a) I don’t have the time or the physical stamina to learn ballroom dancing, and b) there’s NO WAY I could convince my husband to dance with me and there’s little chance he’d let me tango with another man...so I will have to continue living vicariously through Francesca...sigh.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes--apart from the dancing, the thing I love about the movie is Francesca’s transformation. Of course it is incredibly cliche to have a makeover scene in a movie (I can instantly think of at least another dozen films that have an ugly-duckling-turned-swan-story), but I just can’t resist the appeal. There is something so timelessly enticing about a woman who finds her strength, and then watching as that strength slowly transforms her appearance. Because it reminds me that beauty begets more beauty.

We all hear a lot about the value of inner beauty, and so I won’t delve too deeply into that here. But what I will say is that a woman blossoms when she discovers her special talents, or awakens to love, or overcomes fear. Her physical body actually comes alive. This, naturally, leads her to want to care more for her appearance, which just perpetuates her confidence. And the cycle continues, gaining momentum, until she’s too radiant even to look at (okay, maybe I’m going a little overboard here. That could get scary...).

The trouble, of course, is that we know this principle and yet don’t always apply it--especially in the reverse. The other day, for instance, when I was writing this, I was wearing a hideous combination of shiny acrylic pajama pants in a lime green, a threadbare purple shirt, thick wool socks, and my hair knotted messily on top of my head. It was four in the afternoon and I hadn’t even taken a shower yet. Why? Because no one was likely to see me that day. And perhaps because I was also hormonal and not “feeling very pretty.” And, if I’m honest, I was also a little frustrated that some of my plans weren’t working out the way I wanted, which might have been impacting my self-esteem a bit.

In other words, my appearance was reflecting my emotions. Now, I’m not too worried about having one shower-free-p.j.-day every once in awhile, but I know that I can’t make it into a habit. But the truth is that keeping up my outward appearance will help me to resist the lure of low confidence and hormonal tyranny--like an unlikely weapon to ward off unwanted enemies. Messy hair and shiny pants, however, have little effect on making me feel better. Because if beauty begets beauty, than you can be sure that blah begets blah. And I certainly don’t want blah taking over my life!

So what I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that our emotions and our looks are intricately linked whether we admit to it or not. And though this link isn’t exact science, I’d rather just acknowledge the principle and invest in beauty--both inside and out.

Starting with throwing out those lime green pants.

What do you do to ward off the blahs? Share by posting your comment below!

Ditching Class

Alright, so I admit it. I ditched Marple's class on Sunday and went to a festive Oktoberfest in a small mountain town.

They had live music, complete with lederhosen. Lots of polka, folks. Lots of polka.

And since I have a little German in me (okay, maybe a lot of German), I had to eat the authentic fare, like this kielbasa with kraut and apple strudel for dessert.

Caesar, unfortunately, did not get to enjoy the food like me. Although he really wanted to. Really, really wanted to.

Of course there were some events to attend to as well. Like this mug holding contest, which looks harder than it is. The main reason to enter? Free beer.

I couldn't resist snapping a shot of this Giant St. Bernard, complete with his fancy German necklace.

Finally, we caught some of the traditional dancing (again with the lederhosen) right before we left.

Our stomachs were full with beer and brats, our legs were tired from dancing (okay, so maybe just my legs...), and our noses were burned from the warm Colorado sun (okay, so maybe just my nose...).

Sorry Mrs. Marple--I'm sure you had a good class. But was there beer and lederhosen? I doubt it. You just can't compete...

Extra-Curricular

Since it is officially time for back-to-school, I thought that I should sign up for some extra-curricular activities.

Like sports.

Or art.


Or ballet. Adult beginner ballet to be more exact.

Last night I had my first class. And after a full hour performing a series of moves with French names that I can't recall, I can honestly claim that I DID NOT look like this:


Or this:
Nor did I get to wear a tutu like this:

Or a costume like this:

And it is safe to say that I would cry and perhaps break a leg if I tried to do this:

Because frankly I can't even touch my toes like this:


In fact, I probably looked more like this:


Or even this:

My legs were awkward, and I did not bend my neck gracefully in line with my arms. I did not bend much of anything gracefully for that matter.

But I did have a fantastic time, and am so excited for more extra-curricular dancing next week.

And maybe this time I'll be more prepared. Like, say, showing up in this:


Are you doing any extra-curricular activities this season? Share about them by posting your comment here!

Previous Silly Posts:
Ode to Pillows
Dear Sewing Machine...
Oh Cruel Coupons: a soliloquy