Before You Thought You Weren't

Before you thought you weren't. 

I was at McAllister's the other day to get some of their amazing tea when I noticed a little girl no older than four in front of me. She was jumping up and down thrilled that her meal would include a cookie. I remember when I used to jump up and down about cookies, before I learned about their evil calorie count. 

She was dressed in a black leotard with a black tulle tutu. Her hair was braided around her head and she sported pink glasses and Crocs. She was adorable.  Her demeanor was of assured confidence and you could tell she was loving life. She had not a care in the world and the opinion of others was nowhere on her radar. 

You could tell she was quite proud of her tutu as she spun around in line. It gave me pause, though, when I realized that someday she would not feel so free to be herself. Would she one day question her beauty, and I couldn't help but wonder if that spark would be diminished as she compared herself to girls she deemed more attractive? 

I couldn't help but hope that she would keep that confidence and wouldn't follow in the footsteps of many young girls who simply fade away and let the more beautiful take center stage.