Life's garden

I was reflecting on a visit to Victoria, Canada at the onset of my marriage. It was a time of naivety and adventure as our lives were just beginning. We were able to go to Buschart Gardens and what an amazing place. We hit it before the blooming season so we anticipated some disappointment in not having all the foliage in bloom. We were wrong. What struck me so poignantly was the different varieties of flowers, plants, bushes....there were too many to count and each was in perfect form. The striking colors and contours of each shape were awe inspiring.., breathtaking. I have a particular love of roses. They have an exquisite form and the scent brings me instant joy that permeates my being. I found my loyalty waning as I was bombarded with lilies, Camellia's, Rhododendrons, and the like with their equally alluring scents and fascinating petal formation. So I am an allegory kind of girl. If I liken this experience to the people I see everyday I become just as inspired. What would happen if we took off the category glasses and viewed the people we see as the amazing acts of creation they are. Each in their own sphere, distinct and original. Never a repeat. I have had many a conversation with a particular person about the nature of humans and their worth. We never agree as she contends that beauty is the only standard which people should live by and those who do not meet the standard are not happy contented individuals. This opinion states that without the standard of beauty (which is obviously  perception based) your sense of well being is threatened. I contest that it is just the opposite. I came to this resolution after considering the opposite view and then embarking on a cruise with my husband. I noticed that we were accompanied by two thousand other guests (give or take) and I resolved to observe for the next 4 days we traveled together. Ironically my first inclination was to see how many were actually attractive based on just appearance and the given standard of "magazine" beauty. It was not too far in that I realized most of the passengers would be stuck in the unattractive or even ugly section of humanity. I then noticed that there was a wide range of emotion among these unattractive people, but most appeared to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Now I realize that I can not make a happiness call on 4 days of non interactive observation but body language seemed to be the affirmative for positive uplifted attitudes and a general well being. I also perceived that these individuals must be on some scale of success to be able to afford such a venture. So all together I witnessed happy, successful unattractive people having a great time. This was a great victory for me as I had been contesting this to be a fact for a long time. I then widened my scope and thought about the people who actually run those magazines and fashion industries. Have you taken a look at Vera Wang, or Donald Trump, or even the writers they feature in the fashion magazines?  They are far from the people they shove in our faces or flash down the run-ways. Interesting to think that maybe they have an agenda to increase self doubt and insecurity in others.Maybe the whole point is to make us all sniveling self absorbed, self depreciating, insecure, panic driven consumers who really believe that if we don't look, act or do what their magazine espouses then we will be the shell of the person we could be.  What a crazy lie.