• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Dear Sabrina

  • Family
  • Happiness
  • Life in Sweden
  • Beauty
  • Thinking
  • Miscellany
  • About
    • Now
You are here: Home / Beauty / What is Beauty to You?

What is Beauty to You?

June 28, 2016 By Jodi

geese-migrating

Having "beauty" as one of the main topics that this blog covers was a difficult choice. Usually, when a lifestyle blog covers beauty, the subjects are makeup and hair, fashion and accessories. What shoes to wear with that dress, what lipstick to pair with those earrings. The posts usually include photos of beautiful women with gorgeous hair and flawless skin. Or even the blog author herself, looking amazing in a casually-thrown-together outfit, photographed in perfect light.

I know nothing about these things.

I'm interested in a more expansive, generous idea of beauty, one that builds us up and allows us to find inspiration and joy in the world, rather than comparison and insecurity.

A few days ago I listened to a numinous conversation between John O'Donohue, the late Irish poet and philosopher, and Krista Tippett, which aired on the podcast On Being. Early in the conversation, O'Donohue says, "...one of the huge confusions in our times is to mistake glamour for beauty." Later, Tippett asks him to expend on that and he answers:

When I think of the word "beauty," some of the faces of those that I love come into my mind. When I think of beauty I also think of beautiful landscapes that I know. Then I think of acts of such lovely kindness that have been done to me, by people that cared for me, in bleak unsheltered times or when I needed to be loved and minded. I also think of those unknown people who are the real heroes for me, who you never hear about, who hold out on lines — on frontiers of awful want and awful situations and manage somehow to go beyond the given impoverishment and offer gifts of possibility and imagination and seeing. I also think ... of music. I love music.... I love poetry as well, of course, and I think of beauty in poetry. 

close-up-of-baby-elephant

Calm-sea-horizon

women-laughing-amid-sunflowers

The beauty that I find most compelling and relevant in my life is the beauty of the natural world, the beauty of poetry, the beauty of friendship, the beauty of taking care of each other, the beauty of a well-shaped bowl. I'm not as interested in shaping my face to meet exterior standards of beauty as I am in arranging my life to look at and participate in beautiful places, conversations, experiences, and things.

So this topic, beauty, on this blog, will shape itself differently than you might expect (that's not to say I will never post about a beautiful sweater or a beautiful person). I invite you to help me shape it. What unexpected things, people, and places do you find beautiful? What has helped you to articulate your own version of beauty? How does beauty inform your life? Please share, I'd love to know.

Photo of birds by me; elephant from stock; horizon by Jonathan Bean; two of my best friends gathering flowers for my wedding photographed by Halldora Olafs

Related

Filed Under: Beauty, Thinking Tagged With: beauty, birds, elephant, friends, John O'Donohue, Krista Tippett, On Being, podcast, poetry

Previous Post: « An Intentional Summer
Next Post: Having Kids in Sweden: The Basics »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KP

    July 27, 2016 at 2:58 am

    I love this notion of beauty. A lasting beauty..... Can't wait to read more.

    Reply
    • Jodi

      August 1, 2016 at 11:49 am

      Thanks, KP. I'm so glad it resonates with you, and I hope "beauty" as it is considered on this blog is something that enlarges you.

      Reply
  2. Scott Garen

    August 10, 2016 at 5:37 pm

    I love the tone and style of this pictorial "essay" -- beautifully executed with great heart !

    Reply
    • Jodi

      August 11, 2016 at 10:02 am

      Thanks Scott! That means so much coming from you.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Jodi

I just repatriated from Sweden to the US with my British husband and three young kids. I started this site while living in Sweden to build the conversations and community we've had with loved ones around the world, and to create a space to share thoughts about life, beauty, motherhood, and everything else. read more →

Connect & Follow

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Receive the weekly newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd )

Recent Posts

Happiness Project: Watercolor Painting with Skillshare

February 20, 2017 By Jodi Leave a Comment

Watercolor techniques for beginners with Skillshare

Awhile ago, I decided to stock up on watercolor supplies. I bought a basic watercolor palette, brushes, and paper, and prepared to start painting. I remembered loving watercolor painting as a kid, and always wanting to learn how to actually use the paints as an adult. I even got a book, Water Paper Paint, so I'd have a guide. The best intentions,...

Read More

Are You a Radical Mother?

September 22, 2016 By Jodi 1 Comment

Jodi-radical-mother-campaign

While being a mother is generally a wonderful thing (minus the sleeplessness, the poop, the tantrums, the food on the floor/walls/ceiling/radiator), sometimes being a mother-among-mothers can be a rough experience. Something about parenting, particularly in the US, frequently leads to too much comparison and competition, and often what results is an increasing sense of isolation. Experts--and even pediatricians...

Read More

How to Tell Who's Writing

March 7, 2019 By Jodi Leave a Comment

Sonia's next post is coming soon, and we want to make sure you can tell who's writing. If you haven't noticed already, just under the title of each post is some identifying information: when the post was published, and who wrote it. You can probably tell by the difference in our writing voices, but if...

Read More

Building a Better World With My Wallet

December 12, 2016 By Jodi 2 Comments

Mountains and glaciers

Last week I wrote about focusing on community and tradition for the next month of my happiness project. While we've been trying to fill our social calendar, I've also been trying to empty our bank account. 

Categories

  • Beauty
  • Family
  • Happiness
  • Life in Sweden
  • Miscellany
  • Thinking

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow

Instagram

Footer

About Dear Sabrina

Welcome! Dear Sabrina is a lifestyle blog for the thinking woman (and man, if men read lifestyle blogs). I hope that visiting this site gives you something to think about, makes you laugh, or shows you something new. If you want to further connect, find me on one of networks below or send an email.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. More about me…

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2023 · Jodi Elliott