I wanted to hug her and tell her she’s beautiful. My heart hurt for the woman sadly eating her lettuce wedge. Sure, there’s always room for improvement… but each of us also has value and potential just as we are. In telling us how much “better” we could be, these messages also tell us that we aren’t pretty enough, smart enough, good enough just as we are. These messages are everywhere-the shows we watch, social media, advertisements, at work, and when we gather with friends and community. The larger woman blushed crimson red, hung her shoulders, and told the waiter she’d have the lettuce wedge instead-with dressing on the side.Įvery day, we hear how we would be smarter, look better, attract the mate of our dreams, or otherwise be fulfilled in life if only we would do things a certain way: avoid this food, do that exercise, or wear these clothes.
One, who was very thin, told the other, who was not, it was no wonder she couldn’t get a date since she was ordering a cheeseburger.
The child was crushed.Īt the table on the other side of me, two friends were ordering lunch. While eating at a local restaurant, though, I saw a parent criticize their child’s artwork because they drew a car in the sky and cars don’t fly. “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish growth without destroying roots.”
0 kommentar(er)
