Thoughts on Beauty

Unless you've been living under a rock, by now you have certainly seen the video of Susan Boyle's powerful rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's Got Talent.
The first time I saw it, I cringed in the beginning when the judges and audience members snickered and rolled their eyes when Ms. Boyle, a chubby lady with bushy eyebrows, a bad haircut and a matronly dress came out on stage affirming she wanted to become a famous singer. I read the background story about how she had been ridiculed and teased as a child. This brought back memories of my own grade school years. I too was the awkward, quiet kid who was relentlessly teased. My heart went out to her. But Susan looked the judges in the eyes, wiggled her hips in a display of confidence, flashed an adorable smile and began to sing. Suddenly her inner beauty radiated out for all to see. Simon's snark melted instantly to a look that could only be described as pure love. In subsequent interviews Susan has continued to show her real beauty. She does not want to be made over or changed. She is happy with herself the way she is. She is humble yet confident, and despite her challenges, she is following her dream. She is a role model for all of us. Rock on Susan!

PimpThisBum: Horrible name, great project

A few days ago I found this website. Understandably, I bristled at the name. Some advocates are not pleased about it as they feel it exploits the homeless. As I read more about the project, it began to make sense. The creators are a father and son team who are trying to promote their new business while learning the ins and outs of viral marketing. The edgy name is part of their strategy.
They originally thought of promoting a small local business, but instead decided to do something completely different - help a homeless person.
This is a true win-win solution! They are helping another while building their business, but more importantly, they are giving their viewers the opportunity to see the homeless as worthy human souls. Tim is an amazing guy. He may be living on the street, but I think he has more dignity and integrity than all of the high rollers on Wall Street and Washington lobbyists combined... It is my understanding that Tim is off to start rehab today. My thoughts and prayers are with him.

This is my favorite video from the site: