Lots of wise men have advised us to the fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Shakespeare, for instance, wrote of it in Love’s Labor Lost in 1588 and wise ol’ Benjamin Franklin included the wisdom in his Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1741.

But one of my favorite quotes about beauty comes from Kevyn Aucoin:

The future will belong to those with open minds and open hearts, who can appreciate beauty in all of its forms.

So while it might be easy to find a spanking new sofa beautiful or admire this year’s “Most Beautiful Woman,” can you find the beauty in an antique rocking chair with peeling paint or the un-botoxed face and shriveled body of a 98-year-old?

After all, as Lao-Tzu teaches, things are only beautiful to us because we have ugly things to compare them to.

But I believe that ugly is just a state of mind.

What if you were to practice seeing the beauty in ALL things? Yes, ALL things.

Find yourself thinking that an insect or painting or dress or person is foul, grotesque, hideous, loathsome, repugnant, and revolting?

Try looking closer, breathing deeper, and opening yourself to a place of non-judgment where you can see and experience the item or person without your brain shouting out a label like beautiful or ugly.

Try this for just one week and see what happens.

Place your awareness on that little voice inside your head that signals its distaste and displeasure about people and things.

Are you surprised to find that it spends waaaaaay more time criticizing than it does appreciating the beauty that passes by your eyes each and every minute?

Now imagine how much more pleasant your days would be if you worked to flip that ratio around!

One place to start is with today’s VPOD.

Surely you can appreciate the vintage beauty in this late 1950s dress by Junior Sophisticates. Done in a linen-like weave with a silk satin sash and lace inserts on its bouffant skirt, it looks cool and refreshing for these oh-so-hot dog days of summer.

And if you’re not in love yet, can you believe this darling dress is under $100?!

That makes it an especially beautiful find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Past Perfect Vintage.

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