The Ugly Beautifuls
On a recent family trip away to breathtakingly beautiful Kalbarri, a small coastal town on the West Australian coast, we spent a lot of time walking the seemingly endless length of the untouched beaches and collecting shells. In the evenings, we’d lay them all out and sort through the treasures we’d found.
Kids love to sort and categorise and this was especially true for Baby G. Long after the bigger kids had gone off to do what big kids do, she could be found inspecting each and every shell and carefully considering where it belonged.
She had very specific piles. She explained that The Curlies were the shells that she could hold to her ear and listen to the sea. They had curly insides and that was the part that she thought was special. Eyes glinting, she proudly showed me The Pretties, named because they were pearlescent and lovely. Seriously, she held up one of the group that looked like mini volcanoes and declared that they were called, logically, The Volcanoes. Next to these were The Interestings, named so because they couldn’t be categorised but were cool and needed to be picked up and kept, nonetheless. Finally, with a solemn face, she showed me the last of her groups and, with reverence, she declared them to be The Ugly Beautifuls.
I looked down at this group of shells and inwardly giggled. They really weren’t beautiful, but she sure was accurate when it came to the “Ugly” descriptor. They looked like little brains… small whitish blobs of shell, shaped like pieces of brain.
I asked her, “Baby G, why do you call these The Ugly Beautifuls?”
She smiled and motioned for me to lean closer and then softly said, “They are The Ugly Beautifuls, Mum, because they are really ugly, right?”
I agreed.
She leaned in as she whispered, conspiratorially, “But look at this, Mama…” She held my hand open, turned my palm upwards, and gently placed one of the little blobby brain shells in the centre. “Turn it over”, she directed.
I turned the shell over and gasped. The other side was perfectly polished, porcelain-white and smooth and was inlaid with an utterly perfect spiral pattern. Beautiful!
She grinned, “See, Mama? The other kids didn’t pick these up because they were looking for Pretties and Curlies but I found these all by myself! At first I thought they could go in The Interestings group but then when I looked at them, really all over, I saw that they are actually beautiful. All you have to do is turn them over! Isn’t that cool?”
Yes, Baby G, that’s cool.
Way after she went to bed, the goosebumps were still raised up on my arms. May my daughter always have the kind of eyes that can see The Ugly Beautifuls.
Here are some pictures of Kalbarri, one of the most exquisite places I’ve been and it’s right on my doorstep! Western Australia is simply amazing.
Baby G is a special soul that I am privileged to spend my day with. MJ
She’s blessed to have YOU – couldn’t ask for better.
I have goosebumps all over my body! Inner beauty…
very cool!
The “ugly beautifuls” are my favourite too – I have a nice collection of them now:)
Thanks for sharing your story:)
Michelle – the shells are beautiful, the west coast of Australia is beautiful and your daughter is beautiful! We can all learn lessons from seeing the world from the perspective of a child! I hope to get to Australia some day….. hugs!
Mishy, I have goosebumps on top of my goosebumps
Sent from my iPad
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God bless that beautiful little mind.
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That is absolutely wonderful! My daughter surprised me with an observaation of hers just last night. Love it when they do that!
You have an amazing way to write and see all that is beautiful and ugly!!!
And may we all follow her brilliant example! Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely beautiful post. Thank you for sharing it. Your daughter has taught a lesson that most adults don’t understand. Sometimes you have to look a little harder, but beauty is always there. xo
Wow, wise beyond her years indeed!
On another topic, there’s actually a book out called The Interestings, and her description totally fits the characters in the story
I would love to read that book! Thanks, Nina
What a beautiful entry.. really tugs at the heart strings. Looking deeper and at the bright (pretty) side of things can really change not only yourself, but those around you as well. I love how children can see what we sometimes miss. I appreciate this post and will carry it’s message with me. Thanks for reminding your readers that there are two sides to everything:)
Thank you 😉 it’s a message that we sometimes lose in the chaos and noise of life, not to mention the constant media portrayal of what is beautiful.