Wednesday Notes – July 15, 2009

A Message from Caitlin:  I hope you have a fabulous day!  If you want to spread the Operation Beautiful love, post a note, take a picture, and send it to seebriderun@gmail.com!

Did YOU post this note?

Hilary found it in women’s locker room in the White Building at Penn State University on July 1st.  She said, "I found this note in my gym locker room a few weeks ago and I’ve been checking the Operation Beautiful website everyday to see if I could find it!  I would just like to say right before I found the note I was thinking about how my muffin top was probably showing because I bought shorts that were a size too small and then I saw the note and I couldn’t help but smile and I immediately laughed off the thought of my muffin top because it really didn’t matter!"  Did you post this note? Hilary would love to know who did!

UPDATE!  Lorie was the one who posted the note!  She sent me a message this morning that read: "I was checking up on blogs this morning and saw the note and picture you posted from Hilary, who was wondering who posted an OB pic at Penn State University a few weeks ago.  Well, when I saw that picture that she took of the OB message, I realized that it looked incredibly familiar–because, it was me! I am a student and go to that gym almost everyday, and I realized what a perfect place it would be to post a message.  I didn’t have my camera on me, but I was so excited that days later, the message was still up!  I never thought that a blog reader would be the one to notice the message–and then take a picture of it too!–but I am so glad that the words did impact her, and only hope that it has done the same for other girls passing by that mirror.  I know that OB is meant to impact others, but knowing that this message meant something to Hilary is a huge boost in my own confidence.  It makes me realize that sometimes the simplest of gestures can make the greatest of impacts."

And here’s another story of a note found!  Stacy said, "As someone who has struggled with maintaining a healthy weight for most of my life, I am now determined to make positive lifestyle changes and to treat my body with the respect it deserves, as our bodies are truly marvelous.  Despite the positive benefits and results I have already attained, at times that negative voice inside my head gets me down.   Yesterday, on the way into my weekly Weight Watchers meeting I stopped in the ladies room.  There was a post-it note that simply said "You’re beautiful! www.OperationBeautiful.com!"  Those words made my day. I asked my Mom (in the next cubicle) if she had a post-it note and she did as well.  She then checked the other stalls and read aloud all the different messages!"

A reader posted this note in her work bathroom:

Air said, "Thank you so much for the site. It’s really inspired my friends and me. This was left in a restaurant bathroom!"

Kristen from Inspired By Dooce wrote, "I really liked the quote someone posted last week (I think it may have been Salma Hayek who said it) about beauty being in the eye of the beholder, so be the beholder. I think to me, that is what Operation Beautiful is all about.   We don’t all look at everyone around us and automatically see their beauty and think "Wow, they are beautiful." But it doesn’t matter whether or not others think we are beautiful (not that it isn’t nice to hear every so often). What matters the most is that we can look at ourselves in the mirror and see beauty. Once that happens, I think we become more beautiful and are more able to see the beauty around us "

Angel posted this note:

Robyn said, "This is a parcel locker at the post office. Since there’s no key in the lock, that means there is a parcel inside, waiting for a PO Box holder to collect it."

Shawne said, "I posted notes in the ladies room at my work place… "

Ashley wrote, "I came across Operation Beautiful and I wanted to say that I think its a beautiful message!!  And I was compelled to join in,  here is my own little contribution!"

Junhee wrote, "I went to the mall today, and I brought along a pack of post-its and a pen.  I wrote a couple of encouraging notes and stuck them all over the place!  I put one on the bathroom mirror, and when the cleaning lady was washing her hands, she saw it and had a huge grin on her face.  Your movement is truly amazing, and it brings people so much joy."

Kimberly said, "I left this note in the bathroom at Red Robin last night!"

Mahealani said, "I came across Operation Beautiful and I wanted to say that I think its a beautiful message!!"

And… a message from a MAN!    Matt said, "I wanted to drop you a quick note to say how impressed I am by your efforts and messages. As a single guy living in (arguably) the most superficial city in the US — LA — I can attest to how easy it is to get trapped into subscribing to what the media feeds us as beautiful. It’s people like you that remind us what beauty really is. Thank you!