Always searching for beautiful in the most unlikely places, we offer you the opportunity to see beautiful in a machete. Here's how we're slicing it:

Setting: A See Beautifuler walks into a sporting goods store and approaches a sales rep to help her locate an anniversary present for her partner. 

See Beautifuler: Yes, I was hoping you could tell me if you have a specific item in stock.

Sales Rep: Okay, sweetheart, what are you looking for?

See Beautifuler (cringing at the sweetheart-dubbed name she's been given): I need to know if you have a machete in stock. Preferably the Bear Grylls extra large machete with the leather holding case that adheres to one's back.

Sales Rep (color draining from his face): Um. Well, you don't, um, look like you're the type who'd be in here buying a, um, machete.

See Beautifuler (now having the time of her life): Yes. I'm an avid machete-ist and I'm expanding my collection. If you could just point me toward your machete's I'll be on my way.

Sales Rep (backing away from "sweetheart"): Um, well, yes. We have those in the hunting department. Um, it's, um, upstairs, um...

See Beautifuler (beaming): Thanks, I'll just head in that direction.

Sweetheart and Man-Scared-of-Sweetheart part ways. 

See Beautifuler buys machete, but hasn't decided whether to share it with her husband or wear it herself everywhere she goes. Any thoughts?

When the father in the following video received a rejection letter from an academic journal, he walked in his house feeling, well, rejected. For those of you unfamiliar with the feeling of receiving a rejection letter in your profession, you can liken the experience to sending a, "Will you go with me? Yes, No, or Maybe" letter to the love of your life and he/she sending the letter back with a giant red X in the "No" box. Not fun.

However, on this day, as the father walked into his house feeling rejected, he tore the letter in front of his child. In the face of rejection, he was reminded of the things that really matter in the world.

Ways to See Beautiful:

• Children's inability to take this world so seriously.
• Children's ability to find beauty and laughter in paper being torn.
• Readjusting our focus to the truly beautiful things in life.

Interesting Finding: Some scholars claim children laugh an average of 300 times per day, while adults laugh an average of 30 times per day. Perhaps we can channel our inner child and giggle as often as possible-even rejection can be beautiful.

Let's go on a quick virtual field trip, that also includes time travel (so, happy Monday to you)...
Scene Setting: It's 2002, in a try-to-be-clean-but-can-never-stay-ahead-of-the-dry-playdough-and-finger-paint-on-walls pre-school classroom. Twenty-one three and four-year-olds are sitting in a circle (a shape they know), singing the "Good Morning" song. 

The second-year teacher is beaming with pride at the successful sitting and coordinated singing of all twenty-one students at 7:45 a.m. She finishes the song, off harmony, with the students, because in her mind, "Who are we kidding, we're all off harmony!"

Teacher (pointing to the words, "Today is Monday" written in perfect "teacher script"): Good Morning! I can't wait to hear all about the wonderful things you did over the weekend, but before we do, let's see if we know which day of the week today is.

Teacher, looking expectantly and happily around her morning circle. Children, looking at teacher, each other, the fish they've dubbed "Seven" for no apparent reason, the blocks, the carpet. No response.

Teacher (in energetic expression): Okay, let's see what is written on the board. Oh, this says, 'Today is Monday.'

While teacher's back is turned to the board she hears a gasp that sounds like sheer jubilation. By the time she's turned around, one of her most brilliant (though they're all brilliant) students has jumped into the middle of the circle.

Child (trying frantically to rip her pants off): OH! OH! OH! TEACHER!!!!!! MY UNDERWEAR SAYS MONDAY!!!!

At this point, child has pants down revealing that indeed, her underwear does have the word "Monday" sewn into them, the teacher is frantically leaping across other three-year-old heads to get to the child mid-circle.

Teacher (thinking): Oh, dear. Oh, dear. OH DEAR! I'm going to lose my job! There's a child smack dab in the middle of my morning circle with her pants around her ankles!!!!

Teacher (still trying to get to student...crawling on the floor now): You are exactly right! Now, I need you to pull your pants up.

Child (looking confused): But...but...I matched it. They are the same.

At this point child has pulled her pants up in a defeated-looking manner. Simultaneously the teachers' heart begins to beat again. 

Teacher: I am so proud of you! That was excellent noticing and thinking! Why don't you go sit back down with your friends and we'll see what else we can learn today.

Teacher thinking: Is 7:45 a.m. too early to have a glass of wine?
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We here at See Beautiful can't help but look at the word "Monday" now with a chuckle. If you thought today was going to be your typical ole Monday, you don't know who might be waiting around the corner to catch you off guard.

For this teacher, the "Monday" experience is still the best text-to-text connection she's seen a child (or adult) make in her ten years of teaching.

For you, what "Monday" experience could you have to connect your mind to seeing beautiful? It's unlikely that it's matching your underwear to the day of the week, but that example let's you know there's laughter lurking in the most unlikely places. If we take a moment to look for beauty in ourselves or the world, we often find it...or it finds us.

Happy seeing beautiful!
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Also be sure to check us out on our See Beautiful™ website for ways to join the movement!

The following in an excerpt from a children's book, "Captain Underpants and  the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants" by Dave Pilkey. The evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...




We dare you to find your new name and use it to introduce yourself to at least one person today, or only respond to your family if they're calling you said name. Can you imagine the look on people's faces when we tell them the name of our movement isn't really See Beautiful, but Snotty Mouth? It makes us giggle..the kind of four-year-old giggle with our hands clasped over our mouths.


Secret names and giggling are a most perfect way to spend this Saturday seeing beautiful...if only our first name started with an "A" and our last name started with "X"!


Use the first letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = poopsie
b = lumpy
c = buttercup
d = gidget
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = fluffy
h = cheeseball
i = chim-chim
j = stinky
k = flunky
l = boobie
m = pinky
n = zippy
o = goober
p= doofus
q= slimy
r = loopy
s= snotty
t = tulefel
u = dorkey
v = squeezit
w = oprah
x = skipper
y = dinky
z = zsa-zsa

Use the first letter of your last name to determine your new last name:
a = head
b = mouth
c = face
d = nose
e = tush
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = butt
l = brain
m = tushie
n = chunks
o = hiney
p = biscuit
q = toes
r = buns
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = kisser
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = brains
z = juice

The evil Professor is kinda funny if you ask us. 

Albeit wet, do you see a bit of a three-year-old golden spirit peeking back at you? We do. Who knew wetting the bed could help you see beautiful?

Where can you see beautiful this week?

One mother was reminded of this simple truth the other day as she watched her 10-month-old son play with a tennis ball on the kitchen floor.  He would pick up and throw the ball, then crawl to where it had rolled.  She was delighted to watch him learn how the ball worked and what he had to do to continue this little game he was playing with himself.  

Then, the two dogs who share their home with this new “little creature” came into the picture as they realized that, yet another of “their toys” had been taken over.  Now, the dogs USED to be “the babies” until “the baby” came along, and they have been slowly but surely accepting him for 10 months now. 

When the mother saw the dogs approaching, her thought was, “I guess I’ll have to pick the baby up and the game will end.”  However, she watched with joy as her son and two dogs took turns playing with the ball!  The boy continued throwing the ball, but instead of him “fetching” after it, the dogs did the work. The boy and dogs quickly learned their roles in the game and for the first time since the baby was born, the mother sat and watched the three of them play, in unity…and all because of a ball.

So, the next time you see a simple ball-think unity!  Is unity beautiful?…YOU BET!!!! 
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In response to the survey question, "What sorts of things do you collect?," one beautiful woman wrote, "I collect dust." She was referring to the busyness of life impeding her ability to keep up with dusting that top shelf in her living room. We get it. Life is busy. Life is also beautiful.

Is it possible that a thin layer of dust every now and then might be reminding us that we have better things to do with our lives than dust?

Thought: Perhaps those dust bunnies peeking at you from behind the television aren't mocking you, but celebrating the fact that you're busy enjoying life. So, the next time you see dust collecting in crevasses of your home, you might just smile as you retrieve your trusty ole' feather duster. It means you're a dust collector.
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And being a dust collector means you see beautiful.

It is only fitting that the first post regarding "seeing beautiful" include children, laughter, and creativity. If you haven't yet had the treat to watch the video, Kittens Inspired by Kittens, well, get ready to smile, laugh, and perhaps if you're laughing as hard as many I know did, even cry. If you have seen the video, you're in great company. I can never watch this enough and it makes me appreciate the following things that are beautiful:

• Children
• Children's Creativity
• Laughter
• Reading
• Inspiration
• Parent(s) who can stop and capture beauty when they see it