Guest Post: A Contemplation of Beauty

Guest Post: A Contemplation of BeautyRemember the beauty of your body:

The curve in your neck

Crows feet around the eyes

Stretch marks from childbirth

Worn hands

Your belly with its round enjoyment

Beyond the untouched beauty of the newborn, our bodies show we have lived: we are alive.

Remember the beauty of your heart:

Sacrifices for the ones we love

Compassion for strangers

Empathy that our stories evoke

Peace when we truly feel heard

Anger that insists on better

Even fear that reminds us what is important, even as it stops us in our tracks. Our hearts’ beauty brings meaning, connects us.

Remember the beauty of the things we cannot know:

The moments of transcendence

Flow and wordlessness

The deep knowing of connection to all things.

True compassion: the love of self, and of all.

Just as a wave in an ocean is impermanent, so are we. And as the way, we will always be part of the wholeness and beauty of the ocean.

Remember the beauty of the things we disown:

The things we hide

Our struggles and shame

How we break social norms, feel ugly, alone.

These doorways to insightfulness and empathy

Routes to creativity that ‘normal’ never reach

The beauty of freedom when “What is wrong with you?” becomes merely “What is.”

Remember the beauty of ordinariness:

The gift of caring in the small ways

Getting up, brushing teeth, packing lunch

We deal with late trains, aching bodies, system errors

Celebrate mini-triumphs: yummy cakes, goals scored, songs shared

Getting on with our ordinary, imperfect, loving lives

Parents, carers, friends, children: beautiful not because they are extraordinary, but because of who they are. And that is enough.

Yes, remember the beauty of people:

How we connect, emphathise and argue.

How we weep, get stuck and try again.

How we move.

How we stay still.

How we love.

How we fail.

The beauty of the energy and impermanence of people in all our glorious imperfection. Ah, what beauty.


Devi Devi Clark coaches purposeful people who want a meaningful career in a charity or social enterprise, but are finding it hard to get their foot in the door. She is the founder of a social enterprise, the Outsiders’ Network, turning the pain of feeling different into the courage to change the world. Devi is the curator of TEDxAylesbury and the author of 4 books for ethical career changers which will be available on Kindle early in 2015. You can find out more at www.mynewleaf.co.uk.

Image courtesy of Francesco Gallarotti.