I don't watch much daytime television, but I love to watch the Oprah show when she features makeovers. I get crazy excited to see ordinary, frumpy people with outdated hairstyles and clothing become miraculously transformed into attractive, chic, confident looking men and women. There was once a 60-something grandmotherly type who hadn't cut her long grey hair in about 30 years. When she walked through those curtains wearing a stylish bob, close fitting jeans, a cute beaded jacket and boots, I actually burst into tears. It's my secret wish - well, its not secret now - to be on one those makeover shows. I want to be changed, at least on the outside. It's not that I'm really unhappy with the way I look. I try to keep up with the style trends, and I can wear most of the new fashions without looking ridiculous. My weight is about normal for my height, and people always tell me I look younger than my age. But there's something extremely appealing about being made to look so different ( i.e. beautiful, stunning, glamourous) that my own mother barely recognizes me!
Now that I think about it, perhaps this desire for a metamorphosis is more than just superficial. Could it be that I'm longing for changes that go deeper than hair, eyeshadow and lip gloss? Am I really looking for something to jump start my life, not just my appearance? Hmm, could be. I know that beauty is really only skin deep, and lasting radiance can't be applied from a jar. It comes from satisfaction with your relationships, excitement about your work, and positive expectations about your future. And, in all honesty, I haven't had any of those things in abundance recently.
So maybe I should really be thinking about ways to makeover my life instead of just my looks? Perhaps I should be making the kinds of changes that don't wash off in the shower or get ruined by a windy day. Changes that would result in an inner glow of confidence and satisfaction that create lasting beauty no matter what your hairstyle or wardrobe is like.
Oprah, are you listening?