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Sunday, December 07, 2008

The Perfect Smile

It's often hard to see ourselves objectively. We're always criticizing, we're always caring about every little flaw. It's easy to get caught up in that downward spiral of critique after critique after critique. It's good to sometimes take a step back, chill out a little, and smile, because we're alive in a beautiful world full of opportunities and potential. And we are full of potential.

Elianna has a book about a girl who is obsessed with the fact that she does not have dimples. She is tormented by this terrible flaw in herself and goes to great lengths to try and fix it. I don't remember quite how the book ends, but I think the point is - you can have a beautiful smile, even if you don't have dimples. It's good not to get caught up in those little "imperfections" most people don't even notice or care about. We're all unique people and what makes one person great is not necessarily what is going to make you great. It's good to focus on what makes you great, not on acquiring something that works for someone else.

Whether you have dimples or not, never forget to let yourself smile. :)


(This car, clearly, has dimples.)

6 comments:

  1. Such a good post and appropriate license plate, you don't even notice that it's from New York! Well done, madame. :)

    All seriousness, great stuff, Erachet.

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  2. Erachet,
    I agree that " It's good to focus on what makes you great, not on acquiring something that works for someone else." But re "It's good not to get caught up in those little "imperfections" most people don't even notice or care about," not having dimples is not a physical imperfection. Dimples are genetically determined, with the gene for dimples being a dominant gene. Estimates of how many people have this gene vary, from 1 in 5 to 1 in 2. There is also that those who may have dimples when young because of the foreshortened muscle the gene causes in the area of the dimple, may lose those dimples as they age because the muscle stretches out. So dimples are no more of an imperfection than are having a variety of eye colors and hair colors. Don't know how the author of the book handled this but a simple scientific answer might have been the best one.

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  3. Ezzie - Hmph!

    (But thanks :P)

    ProfK - It's a kid's book. :P

    The point wasn't the dimples, they were just being used as an example. The same thing could be said about a kid wanting freckles (ever read Freckle Juice?). The point is that most often, what we perceive as an "imperfection" is not an imperfection at all, and it's important to recognize your own features and talents that make you unique and likable.

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  4. But, Pobody, it's not even like you have red hair. :P

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  5. I don't have dimples, but I do aim to have a perfect set of teeth. I think that's what makes a person's smile better. :) Anyway, this is such a great post! :) I like your writing style. Keep it up!

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