what is beautiful?

oh that is so subjective. really it is. i just had a fit about kids toys and focusing on how you look, or what you wear. today i had a conversation with my daughter (3) who came downstairs asking "is this beautiful? do i look beautiful?" my response was (and she's used to this): "the orange and the green compliment each other nicely, all those colors together make it look like you are ready for some fun!"  after that i looked her in the eyes and told her, "you are beautiful always because your heart is beautiful. so any colors or clothing you put on looks beautiful because your heart is under there" her response to that, "oh yea, and i'm strong and smart too!" oh shiva h vishnu yes! yes! ok cool, great! today i am contributing to the next generation feeling beautiful inside. awesome.

but what about us? who grew up with more cynicism, less confidence bestowed upon us? those of us who grew up wanting to be looked in the eye, who learned to hide certain aspects, not be proud... madonna says it best.... and what about the fact that it really is ok to feel beautiful? what about embracing who we are and starting to love it? what about that? because people really are beautiful, the human form is amazing. have you ever seen the light and shadow of where the upper arm meets the lower arm, not the elbow but the inside? have you really seen it? how about the back of an ankle? i have, i can stare there for an hour. it will distract me from our conversation, from whatever i am doing. i tried to watch the broadway musical 'chicago' i couldn't focus; i was engrossed in watching those amazing women and their muscles. i can't coherently speak when sun is shining on tree leaves... amy knows this; we are artists and we know it. it lives in us screaming to get out, to share this beauty with the world.

amy recently started her own photography business, soulshine imagery. she does all sorts of art photography; still life, landscape, portraits.... she has an amazing eye and talent. something she is passionate about in her life and her art (are those ever separate?) is she wants to show us what we might not see about ourselves, that we are beautiful. i won her contest for a portrait session; project soulshine::tara. i won more then that; i got to meet and hang out with a kindred spirt for a glorious afternoon, my soul was surely shining. i "met" amy reading her blog. in may of 2010 amy did a month long series: in celebration of mothers, it had a profound effect on me. her thoughts, ideas, existence, is tied to mine in cosmic ways i can not explain but am grateful for. so here you are, here is amy's view of what is beautiful about me. thank you amy, thank you very much.