Diving Deeper to See the Real Picture

Why are our eyes so easily fooled? Why are we so quick to judge? We are taught to not judge a book by its cover, but we do it all the time. A man must be a gentleman if he wears a business suit. A woman must be a lady if she wears a fancy dress and heels. Is it really that simple or do we need to dive deeper to see the real picture?

Randolph often contemplated human behavior. However, those around him thought Randolph was strange for wanting to investigate. His co-workers thought he was blind and a fool.

“Hey, Randy!” said his colleague. Christopher gestured at the woman that was seated across the room, “Isn’t she a hottie?”

“Cynthia isn’t my cup of tea,” replied Randolph.

“Why not? She’s hot!”

“I spoke to her the other day, and she has no substance. I am interested in a woman that has a beautiful heart and wants to make a difference in the world.”

“You lost me, man. You are a fool if you don’t want that sexy trophy on your wall.”

“I guess I am.”

Randolph shook his head and walked away.

As much as Tara loved working in the bookstore, she was tired of all the perverts that tried to hit on her. After the shallow men finished drooling over the young women on the magazine covers, they would try to seduce Tara with their stupid comments.

“What’s a beautiful woman like you working at a bookstore? You should be working on me.”

“You are so gorgeous, sweet thing. Let Daddy take you out.”

Tara just wanted to cry. The men that she came across didn’t seem to give a damn that she was well read, wrote inspirational articles, and did her part to help the world. All they seemed to care about was getting her in bed. Tara decided she would rather be celibate her entire life than to sell her body for a cheap thrill.

Randolph decided to take the rest of the day off. He couldn’t stand another minute with his shallow co-workers. Randolph was not like most people; he was observant. Randolph paid attention to things like numbers on clocks, bumper stickers, cloud formations, animal messages, and believed in chance encounters with strangers. Randolph believes the Universe is always communicating with us. However, the question is whether we are paying attention or not.

Randolph needed a walk in nature. There was something magical about spending time in her presence. As Randolph stepped outside, his eyes spotted a young woman giving a homeless man some food. This act of kindness warmed his heart to the core. Randolph believes the purpose of life is to help one another. As Randolph thought this last thought, he noticed a feather on the sidewalk, and next to it was a message written in chalk that read, “Are you a Beautiful Human?” Randolph smiled and tucked the angelic gift in his pocket and continued on his walk.

Peter stood on a bridge that overlooked the river. There were tears in his eyes as he gazed into the distance. Peter was deeply touched by the young woman that gave him some food. However, most of the citizens of Meadowbrook turned their eyes away from people like Peter. They weren’t interested in helping the homeless. Instead, they were obsessed with the material world and being forever twenty-one. To the people of Meadowbrook, Peter was invisible.

Tara was grateful for her one-hour lunch break. It gave her a moment to de-stress and time to reconnect with nature. Tara loved walking around the lake and would stop from time to time to watch the ducks. It melted her heart when she witnessed a group of ducklings swimming behind their parents. Tara longed to have a family of her own with that special someone. This man would be a gentleman and treat her like a lady. They would both love and support one another. She decided that it would be wonderful if she and her partner could work as a team to bring more light into the world. Tara wished that society would get passed the exterior of a person, but people were easily fooled. You could dress up a foul smelling trash can with fresh paint and perfume, and people would spend their hard earned cash on it, not aware of the fact that they were getting a bad deal.

Tara decided to take a seat on one of the benches that faced the lake. She glanced to her left and noticed a young girl and her father picking up litter. The girl wore a t-shirt with a message that read, ‘It is our actions that make us beautiful.’ Tears fell from Tara’s eyes. She resonated with that message deeply. Then, Tara noticed a young man join the pair in picking up litter.

“It is awesome to meet people that care about the planet,” said the young man.

“We feel the same,” replied the father. “My name is Taylor, and this is my daughter, Samantha.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Randolph.”

Samantha gestured at Randolph’s feather that was peeking out of his pocket. “That is a beautiful feather, Randolph.”

Randolph smiled. “You think so?” Samantha nodded her head. “Then, it’s a gift for you—a present from the angels.”

Tara felt her heart smile. It was incredible how an earth angel lit up the world with their beautiful heart.

Taylor was so proud of his little earth angel, Samantha. He sat on one of the benches near a giant oak tree, observing his daughter write an inspirational message in chalk on the sidewalk. The message read, ‘Our love can transform the world!’

Randolph was enjoying a cup of coffee at Ray’s Coffee Corner, writing ideas for a book he wanted to put together. He felt so inspired by the angelic feather, witnessing the act of kindness, the walk in nature, the beautiful message on the sidewalk, and helping Taylor and Samantha honor the earth. Randolph wanted to teach the world about real beauty: A beauty that springs from the heart with the intention to enrich the lives of others and bring more light into the world. As Randolph was thinking this last thought, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but I think I saw you at the botanical garden, picking up litter,” said Tara.

“That’s right, I was helping a man and his daughter,” replied Randolph.

“Your service to the community touched me. I have met a lot of selfish people, and it is refreshing to meet someone that cares about the planet, and seeing you give the little girl a feather was so sweet.”

“You are not bothering me. Aren’t you the young lady that I saw giving a homeless man some food?”

“Yes, that was me.”

“What an amazing coincidence! I think you are very sweet, too. My name is Randolph, by the way.”

“I’m Tara.”

“Can I buy you a coffee, Tara?”

“Yes, I would love that!”

When Randolph returned with her coffee, he noticed Tara smiling. She gestured at the two pieces of paper on the table. Randolph’s jaw dropped when he saw that both of their papers were titled, ‘The Beautiful Human.’

Six months later, Tara and Randolph were doing a book signing to promote their new book, ‘The Beautiful Human: The Beauty of Kindness.’ Randolph and Tara were on Cloud Nine. Randolph took Tara’s hand into his and smiled. Tara returned the smile. It doesn’t get much better than this, Randolph thought. Both Tara and Randolph were living their life purpose. They were showing the world that real beauty comes from within. It is our love and positive actions that make us beautiful.

Now, at every grocery store and bookstore, a new type of magazine was on display. It was much different than the typical one that showcased a young woman in her 20s wearing a bikini. This magazine featured a 101-year-old woman playing the piano. Her playing touched people’s hearts and brought joy into their lives.

This woman’s passion for music brought more beauty into the world.

Tara and Randolph’s search for real beauty was the treasure that brought them together. They invite you to dive into your heart and shower the world with your love.