You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single second of every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colors fill your mind until there is nothing left to do but explode. There are no wrong answers. Inspiration is everything. Sit back, relax, and take it all in. Now, go out and create something. -Jac Vanek
I have read (and written) many pieces of writing on seeing each other for more than just our looks - seeing beneath the surface, and the makeup, and the clothes and looking into each other's personalities: our souls.
I started to turn my thinking to my own soul and how at first I thought, I had no idea what my soul was and that then lead me to think,if my soul is an extension of my feelings, my personality, my values and morals, my light - than isn't that a reflection of my outer being too?
Like books, we cover ourselves with color and imagery - a jacket to try and portray an accurate clue of what's inside. We create an outer presentation based on our own perception of who we think we are.
If my sweater is pink and my nails are black, is that not because I'm sweet and girly with a touch of edge? My hair is scraggly and I drive too fast; does that not make me a little wild and dangerous? I wear floral leggings and band tees, because I am mesmerized by the beauty of flowers and want to keeps those people who sing lyrics that speak to me close to my heart. Do these pieces of my appearance not represent my soul?
I project my soul outward by expressing my tastes in clothes, music, food, books, flowers, colors, places.
All the things I like and present to you to see are all extension me! If you think you are judging me based on my looks, I think your assumptions would be correct. "Beauty is more than skin deep"(obviously), but there are so many parallels between the transcendence of our souls and how we present ourselves to the world.
In our society, we are so conscious of stereotypes, and are so sensitive when we feel we are being pegged, but (aside from racially motivated and body shaming judgement) is it wrong to assume I am a certain way because of how I look, how I dress, what I listen to, what I post, the way I portray myself?
I don't think it is.
If you are going to judge a book by it's cover, you will probably find the story you've been looking for. It's when you start reading the pages underneath that things get blurry because your nerdy glasses are better for seeing souls that they are reading minds.
Sometimes life gets the best of us and our thoughts don't always reflect in our smiles, in our appearance. When we encounter grief, sadness, or anger - anything that is bringing you down, it's important to remember that our mind, body, and soul are all connected and eventually, it will reflect, not only the way others see you, but the way you see yourself.
Take care of yourself: mentally and physically.
Paint an accurate picture of yourself for all the world to see. You are a special book that deserves to be read. Do not let your cover misconstrued who you are.
Let your soul shine through.
