Find Your Own Meaning of Beauty

First I want to explain my blog name change from “Brews and Boots: A Blog About Hiking Trails, Beer, and the Pursuit of Happiness” to “Vegan Soup”. A few reasons

1. The original title was too long

2. I didn’t want to feel limited in what I should talk about

3. I want to talk about all things comforting and happy, which reminding me of books I read when I was younger “Chicken Soup For the Soul” but I am a vegan so then came the name “Vegan Soup”

** I should add- I will not be in any way trying to persuade you to be vegan, I may share an occasional recipe but I will not rant about animal rights, that is not the purpose of this blog. 

Now on to some thoughts I had about the meaning of beauty on my drive to work today…

Why do we let magazines or people in bars define what beauty means to us? Why not define it ourselves and find our own meaning of beauty? I tried an activity where I thought about my closest friends and family and what makes them beautiful to me. For instance, why do you think your lifelong best friend is beautiful? Is it because they lost those ten pounds and got a tan, or is it because of their genuine smile and compassionate heart? I can’t speak for everyone, but in my situation it is definitely the latter. I compiled a list so that I can understand what is important to me, and what I value and find beautiful. When we discover what we love about our closest friends and family, we should hold ourselves to those standards, not the standards set by the general public and people who do not know our stories. This empowers us as humans to disregard society’s image of beauty and find a meaning for it in our own unique lives.

You are beautiful because of your…

Compassion

Willingness to help

Laughter

Commitment to your goals

Focus and drive

Kind heart

Comforting hugs

Sense of humor

Optimism

Ability to think on your feet

Honesty

Ability to forgive

Love for your family

Strength

Selfless acts

I could list hundreds more, but I think you get the point. When we think about the people that impact our lives in the most positive ways, we think of their actions and their words. We do not think of the color of their skin, their weight, their symmetry, or any other cosmetic feature. I encourage you to treat yourself the way you treat your best friends, hold yourself at a better standard, and find your own unique understanding of beauty. 

Here is a picture of some mountains just for fun, thank you for reading! :)