Operation Beautiful

    Several months ago,  I stumbled upon "Operation Beautiful". The idea is to secretively leave sticky notes in public places, such as bathrooms, dressing rooms, make up aisles of stores and anywhere/everywhere where other women (or men, I guess..) would find your note. The notes are meant to speak truth into the heart and show love to women who may or may not receive much acknowledgment for how great they truly are. The sticky notes withhold positive, uplifting messages such as:

"You are Beautiful"

"You were made the way this way for a reason"

"You are loved" 

"You inspire me" 

 

       Ever since I learned about this movement, I have made a conscious effort to part take in it! But I don't carry a purse and sticky notes don't fit in the pockets of jeans very well, and if I'm being honest, I often forget or even if I remember, I usually try and get out of public restrooms as quickly as possible. Then just a few weeks ago, I realized that Lowell High School would be a perfect place to leave some post it notes. Every morning when I go into the restroom there are the same girls just tearing themselves apart as they plaster themselves with makeup. When I noticed the routine of my peers, I left my first Operation Beautiful note; It said "You are just as beautiful without the makeup". Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a picture of that note because I heard someone opening the door.   

 

       As silly as it sounds, leaving these sticky notes has almost become a "high" for me. I ponder new places to leave them and feel accomplished when I leave a new note (sometime I wonder if anyone ever notices me walking out of the bathroom with a look of pure satisfaction on my face). Ever since I got my new iPod with a camera, I have begun taking pictures of my attempts at a new way of loving others. Below are a few pictures of my notes.

 

On the door of a bathroom stall at school

On the main mirror of a school bathroom

In an Old Navy dressing room

   

       A few of my friends, Becka and Hannah have also starting leaves notes in their wake. It feels good to know that my friends and I are slowly helping other women, one sticky note at a time. So next you find yourself with a package of sticky notes, go ahead, do it. Become a part of Operation Beautiful. You can also find ideas and pictures of notes left all around the world at their website.

The Rainbow Fish

       As I have mentioned several times on this blog (even more if you personally know me), high school is really quite the place. You can find every type of person known to man being held captive within the brick walls. I like to compare all 1200 students in LHS, to a big school of fish. Nearly 100% of these said "fish" are just along for the ride. They stay with their group of other fishies that are similar to them. So we have hundreds and hundreds of fish all going the same way. It's one large pack with several small sub-packs. Well I am an individual fish. The rainbow fish.
    To me, being an individual is incredibly important. Although it easy to get lost in the sea of 1200 other students at LHS, I try to swim the opposite direction of the rest of the fish. The fish that are just floating along with the current, getting pushed this way and that, getting caught on old tree limbs fallen in the river, or unfortunately the select few who end up being beached along the shore line. Nobody will ever go and pick these fish up and through them back into the water, they will just lay there struggling for their last breaths of air, very few will be able to fight their way back into the water. Most will just give up, lay there and begin decomposing. Within a few short hours, they will be completely forgotten, only serving as a reminder to the other fish of what could happen.  I swim up the stream. I"m the one fighting with every stroke of my fin, the one that is to determined to give up, the one that is pushing through the herd of fish coming at me in every direction. Sadly, sometimes I am the fish that is the underdog, the fish that is questioning whether it's worth it to keep swimming onward and see what's farther up ahead, the fish that stops for a breather and is pushed back. But I, I am the fish that no matter what, I am going to keep swimming. Just keep swimming. I don't care of if my fin is scraped by a large group of  "mean fish" headed straight for me, I will head right back towards them. For I believe in what I am fighting for, I have a purpose for swimming up the stream, I want to challenge the other fish, to make them turn around and see where I am going. And maybe, just maybe they will follow behind me, maybe they'll be curious as to what could be up there, there's no way I would being bothering to go through so much trouble if there wasn't something great up ahead, maybe I'll soon have a few fish behind me. After all, I am an individual, I am a different fish. I have God on my side. 

Eureka!

       Do you ever feel like you just need to go out on a limb, put yourself out there and try something new? Well, recently I had been yearning for something new, something fresh, something to remind me that I'm alive. I've been struggling with feeling tired. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, I've been feeling burned out. I find myself going through the motions of my daily routine. Nothing new. Nothing different.

and then....

      I found it. The thing I have been searching for so long. The thing that has been right in front of me for well over a year.   Now why did I just come to this realization you may ask? Well to be completely honest, I have no idea. They say you won't find something until you start to look for it, maybe I just wasn't looking? Or maybe God just wasn't ready for me to have this new passion; maybe he was saving this precious discovering for a time when I really needed it. Like now.

Well,  know that I have created enough suspense, I suppose can now share what this new passion is. Drum roll please..........




Dance.
More specifically, swing dancing. When I dance, the rest of the world slowly slips away. I forget about my ever growing pile of homework, my physical exhaustion, the day to day stress, I forget it all. On Monday afternoons at my schools swing dancing club, I am genuinely happy. Twirling around, my hair flipping, being dipped, spinning around on the floor just feels right. Now, I am in now way an expert, or even that good, but I'm okay with that. I'm okay with just spinning in whatever direction my partner suggests, following his lead. Dancing has brought me closer to the Lord, as well. Dancing has me to trust; I've learned that everything will end up okay, even if you take a wrong step, spin the wrong direction or you try and predict what's going to happen and your completely wrong. Even if you fall completely on your face, it will be okay. You just have to laugh it off, stand up, smile and you'll end up right back on the beat.

Unfortunately,I have been fighting off some negative thoughts too. I believe that when you find something that really makes you happy, or something that brings you closer to God, or both, that there is someone who doesn't like that. That he will try and do whatever he can to stop that activity. Whether that be by telling you that you're not good enough, you're too tall, you're too awkward, too clumsy, unnatural or fake. But thanks to my God, I can fight off at these false statements. I know that my God loves me. That I am good enough, that I can learn to dance will having a larger bend at the knees then most(and get huge thigh muscles) , that I can be graceful. Oh how I love my God.