Superficiality

You know how it is when sometimes you start wondering why life was unfair when you see your friends having supposedly the best lifestyle that you could only dream of.. When you see kids so much younger walking around dressed in all the latest brands and carrying the latest gadgets in the market and you start feeling really miserable... When you start admiring your friends for their tiny waists and flawless skins and silky hair and wonder why God never thought you deserved these things.. When you see girls throwing a fuss when their boyfriends come a little late than the time promised, although they drive down to fetch the girl, when all you ever do is ride the bus or train and several cab rides are enough to burn a deep hole in your pockets.. When your idea of hangin out with your friends is an outing to some fast food restaurant to just talk and catch up while some people have the capacity to visit all the hottest nightspots and the top restaurants and stuff.. we often find ourselves asking why, why, why? We always question... Nothing ever seems to be enough.. When would we ever be content.. To quote Oscar Wilde, "We live, I regret to say, in an age of surfaces.."

It's something that got me thinking when one of my friends recently mentioned about how someone she knew was always upset with everything and kept looking at the flaws without realising what a whole lot we have to be thankful for.. Each day is a miracle.. Each sunrise, to be thankful for.. Each dawn a new beginning bursting with events and surprises to unfold-some pleasant, some unpleasant, but each a learning experience..

I have met guys who take pleasure in putting their girlfriends down, commenting on their sudden gain in weight or how a top seems to show their slightly rounder tummy or how her hair doesnt seem to stay as nicely in place or how she doesnt seem to dress to his liking.. How is this an issue, i don't understand.. If you fell for the girl, her character, the person she is and such inner qualities, then why in the world would her appearance matter to you.. wouldnt you be happier with someone who is so beautiful on the inside that her natural beauty will shine through her smile, rather than a bombshell that you could probably use as a trophy girlfriend..

We so often tend to look at the superficial details of things that we fail to realise there is more to life than mere looks and money and popularity.. People and relationships matter more.. These are things that stay, that make differences to your life, that last a lifetime... A friend wrote in her blog, an entry dedicated to her Dad who had passed on 2 years ago.. It makes you realise that time is too short.. life is too unpredictable.. Anything can happen anytime to anyone.. It's more worthwhile spending our time on Earth embracing the beauty of things around us, appreciating the lives that touched us, holding on to those who mean the most to us, letting them know how special they are..

There was once long ago that I came across a little passage from a book that I copied and kept close to my heart.. It's simple but it means something to me...

LIFE JUST ISN'T
Life isn't about keeping score.
It's not about how many people call you and it's not about who you've dated, are dating or haven't dated at all.
It isn't about who you've kissed, what sport you play, or which guy or girl likes you.
It's not about your shoes or your hair or the colour of your skin, or where you live or go to school.
In fact, it's not about grades, money, clothes or colleges that accept you or not.
Life isn't about if you have lots of friends, or if you are alone, and it's not about how accepted or unaccepeted you are.
Life just isn't about that...

But life is about who you love and who you hurt.
It's about how you feel about yourself.
It's about trust, happiness and compassion.
It's about sticking up for your friends and replacing inner hate with love.
Life is about avoiding jealousy, overcoming ignorance and building confidence.
It's about what you say and what you mean.
It's about seeing people for who they are and not what they have.
Most of all, it's about choosing to use your life to touch someone else's in a way that could never have been achieved otherwise.
These choices are what life's about.