One day, I was in a public bathroom at Life Alice in Salem, and there was a little sticker in the corner of the mirror that said “You are beautiful”.
I loved it!
I went home, found the website, and ordered hundreds of my own to pass out, kind of a guerilla “share the light, spread the beauty” mission. I put them on every mirror in our house.
I don’t usually feel beautiful. Especially now, a 50-year-old cookie-loving single mom. So, this morning, I put on my Dad’s sweatshirt so I could feel his arms around me. Sometimes I need my Dad’s energy, his humor, generosity, integrity, wisdom, and deep eternal love for me, to remind me there are really good people out there. I put on his faded blue sweatshirt and started to write, and remembered that Henry, my 7th grader, had asked me to order him the stickers. A girl in his class told him that she loved to come to our home, because she felt so happy when she saw those stickers, and he wanted a stack of his own to pass out.He has watched me pass them out for years, to crabby cashiers, the cranky lady at the post office, and anyone I see throughout the day who looks like they need a reminder. I don’t say anything. I just smile and silently hand them the sticker and disappear.
I ordered one large sticker to put on the back of my car because I live in New England, home of some pretty serious road rage. When I first moved here, I was actually chased down by a raging lady. I had unknowingly driven into the parking lot of a yacht club and she blocked me from leaving the lot, got out of her car, and proceeded to scream at me, calling me a “blonde bimbo who didn’t know how to drive.” Seriously? With my terrified 6-year-old son in the back seat. I didn’t know what to do so I just laughed and called the police. I told them there was an unhinged lady on the rampage with anger management issues. I soon came to find out there are a lot of people in New England with anger management issues. I’ve driven for a lot of years all over the world– 15 years of traffic in LA, the Pyrenees in Spain, all over France, Norway, Mexico, New Orleans, NYC, and I’ve road tripped criss-crossing the United States many times…. and never ever seen road rage like they have in New England. I attribute it to the long brutal winters that make people short tempered and grouchy. In any case, I put a “You Are Beautiful” sticker on my car to remind people of who they are underneath that anger and brittle exterior.
While taking some photos around my house of my stickers, I realized that another thing that spreads joy and light is my phone case! I bought it because I like pink furry bunnies, but the happy side effect is that every time I pull it out, people are delighted. I was in a gala meeting the other day with a bunch of big bank CEO’s and I pulled my phone out to show them a photo, and when I looked up, they were all laughing. I said, “What?” And one said, “We like your phone case.” I never remember, but it is a source of amusement for people who see it, and I love making people laugh, so it’s a win-win.
The thing with sharing the light is that when you give positivity away, it triples inside you.
Like beauty.
Like love.
Try it and you’ll see what I mean.
Share the light! YES!
(Link to the stickers here.)
One Response
I remember unknowingly driving behind you one rte 62, waiting to get onto Rte 128 — an intersection that is the source of much road rage. I saw your “you are beautiful” sticker on the back of your car, and started smiling. Then I saw your bright pink furry pom poms hanging from your rear view mirror. I had not actually seen or talked to you in at least a year, but there I was, right behind you. And, without even seeing your face, I knew exactly who was driving that car. And you lifted my spirits. You ARE beautiful. You are beautiful inside and out. You are one of the most truly beautiful people I know. Don’t you ever forget it.