You Are Beautiful by Author Paige Britt

you are beautiful

That’s what the little sticker said. Black font on white background. Simple, direct, unassuming.

Photo courtesy of Paige Britt Author of books: The Lost Track of Time | Why Am I Me? — Photo courtesy of Paige Britt Author of books: The Lost Track of Time | Why Am I Me?

you are beautiful

It caught me off guard. My husband and I were out for a walk, deep in discussion about all the things in our life that weren’t working. We were stuck in a professional setting that wasn’t life-giving. In a house that didn’t suit us. In a state that didn’t feel like home. We’d been trying to figure out how to get unstuck for awhile, but couldn’t see our way clear to change. We were hunkered down in survival mode, and the pressure was stifling.

So, we did what we usually do. We found a neighborhood we’d never been to before and started walking. The neighborhood looked nothing like ours. It had tall brick houses, long green lawns, neat flowerbeds, and a park—a tiny park with a pond and two swans swimming peacefully.

That’s when I saw the sticker. It was stuck to an antique cast-iron lamppost.

you are beautiful

Something inside me shifted. That tight cramped fixation on everything that was wrong, gave way and—just for a moment—I saw the big picture. I felt like life itself was telling me: Yes, these gardens are lovely and these houses are very nice and, of course, the swans are amazing, but really it’s you—you’re beautiful. Start there.

The sticker wasn’t a statement of what I looked like, it was a reminder of who I was. I was so distracted by my external circumstances that I’d lost sight of a truth that didn’t depend on where I lived or worked. That little sticker woke me up and reminded me to shift my focus from where I wanted to be, to who I wanted to be.

It took many, many more long walks before my husband and I eventually left that job and house and state to build a life that more fully expressed the truth of who we are. But in the midst of all the change, one thing stayed the same: you are beautiful.

Paige Britt, MA grew up in a small town in Texas with her nose in a book and her head in the clouds. She studied journalism in college and theology in graduate school, but never stopped reading children’s books for life’s most important lessons. She is the author of the middle-grade novel THE LOST TRACK OF TIME and the forthcoming picture book WHY AM I ME?, ”[A] mindful, captivating ode to wonder and a must for any story-or bedtime repertoire” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Learn more at: paigebritt.com

Brave Tutu Note: I am a fan of Paige's authentic and generous spirit. She's a talented author and a dear part of our writing community in Austin. Our Austin SCBWI family is lucky to have Paige and Brave Tutu is fortunate to have this powerful story: a perfect example of power stemming from a small moment. Thank you, Paige!

Remember,

Your Brave Tutu (You’re Brave Too-Too)

-Take courage in delight. Discover power in small moments.