adorn

it was that j looked so cute in their topknot tied with the purple velvet scrunchie. it was the little blue flowers by the side of the road on the way to the beach and on the way to virginia. it was m’s chain gleaming under their bright face under the afternoon sky. it was the stranger who managed to make orange overalls look elegant. it was all of the tattoos. it was the fluffy clouds refracting the sun. it was the gold feathers on the black birds. it was the little canisters of glitter my sister has handy. it was the loud pink sunset.

it was “the way that beauty shocks”1

the etymology of adorn is to equip, to prepare. this makes sense to me, given the way that getting dressed, beautifying a space, feeling good about how i look makes my day or my life seem that much more faceable. to adorn, i think, to insist on beauty.

at other times in my life i’ve dismissed focusing on beauty as trivial, or conceited. i have judged people who spend a lot of time and money on makeup, or clothes or other beautification processes as superficial. this judgment was misguided and i think about my own insecurity, my own not knowing whether i like how i look or whether it’s allowed to matter. i suspect this judgment grew from my own deep discomfort with my own body and appearance.

however, prompted by Amirio Freeman, i realized this week that something that i desire that i suspect the earth also desires is decoration, adornment, beauty.2

beauty is there as i look for it. beauty is chosen. as simple as a haircut, as small as an earring, and the flowers on the table, and the fresh coat of paint, and the word of encouragement, the light through the leaves and the eyes that tell you you’re in on it.

the earth teaches us how.