Which then got me thinking.. how do we see our beloved? Do we experience them as they are in the clothes they wear, or as they are underneath their clothes?

Sometimes we forget, sometimes we assume the person for the clothes she wear, for his physicality, for what she presents on the outside.  To know the person beneath the clothes, we need to see with our minds and our hearts; to deny the expectations and stereotypes our world has imposed upon us, to be open to the many and varied possibilities of being human.

For me, underneath my beloved’s clothes is ‘an endless story’ – a man informed by his experiences, fueled by his creativity, complex and talented, sometimes doubtful, occasionally resigned, a little lost but always moving forward. And that is beauty personified. That’s the man I see.

So the next time you lay eyes on your beloved, whoever he or she may be, consider this – do I see him (or her) underneath his clothes?

Wishing you love,
– FlorenceT