"You are so beautiful to me"
It's the only thing I remember from "The Little Rascals" . I don't even remember the premise of the movie. I do however remember this...
That scene made my little 10 year old heart melt. I have always been a romantic. I didn't even care how off key his singing was. All I knew was that I wished my mushroom cut would grow out and I could get a lace dress and parasol and float down a river while somebody serenaded me.
There are two things that stand out to me about this memory:
1) Why didn't I picture myself mushroom cut and all floating down the river? Why, at ten, did I already believe that there was some other version of myself out there that was more beautiful than the one that was sitting there in plaid stirrup leggings, pink retainer, and sneakers? I wish I could have seen how beautiful I was. Right then. Exactly as I was.
2) Somewhere deep down I think we all want to be Darla. We may not want the river or the boat or even the boy...but we all want to be the one who inspires the words.
"You're everything I hoped for. You're everything I need. You are so beautiful to me."
As I've gotten older though I have realized that it's not about being Darla. It's about being Alfalfa. It's about laying your heart on the line. It's about being vulnerable enough to let somebody know they mean the world to you....even if you sound completely ridiculous doing it. And I'm not just talking about doing this in a romantic relationship. I'm talking about every day, with everyone (including yourself), holding up a mirror and letting someone see their beautiful reflection. Because if we all were Alfalfa's there would be a lot less loneliness. A lot fewer people who end their lives too early or live everyday in isolation because they can't see that no one else can play their part. That they matter. That, even in their retainers and possibly ill advised fashion, they are enough. More than enough. They are everything.
This blog is my love song to the kid with the braces and the bad hair cut. To everyone who never fits in and to everyone who always has but has never known why. To you.
You are enough. You are more than enough.
You have no idea how beautiful you are.
