Inner Beauty

There is this tree in our school that bears some of the most beautiful flowers and fruits ever. It is called the Rose Apple. When the flowers bloom, each and every hair like strand from the flower falls from the tree branches as if there was a shower. When the greenish fruit turns red, they looked like clusters of bells ready to chime and sing their lyrical songs. I just adore the appearance.

There is one problem though. The beauty of the fruit is a facade to what is inside those lovely red bells. Other rose apples are edible but this one is not. When they fall down from their branches and we opened them up, the flesh of the fruits were eaten up by maggots. For some that remained hanging, the taste was bland and sometimes, raw and inedible.

My outside beauty is nil since I am blessed with typical features. I rarely smile and I don't interact well with other adults. I am not a party goer nor keen in attending celebrations, basically shy in many aspects. I am but ordinary. But my inner beauty shines like a beacon when I work with children. I hold good intentions and leads my students to greater strides. I am but extraordinary.

Beauty gets no admiration when we know nothing about good manners. A simple good morning that couldn't be reciprocated or a nod or smile to acknowledge one's presence. Beauty becomes superficial when what we see is just the face or the body, and yet the inside is lacking in quality. Beauty becomes nothing when we look only from the outside.

The rose apples remind me of how I should be contented of what I have. The outside is simply a facade, an image that acts as a vessel. What's more important is what is inside us, something that demands a higher recognition and admiration. Beauty and good attitude should go hand in hand. For those who think they are but ordinary, we could celebrate our inner beauty through good deeds and kind words. For by doing so, we radiate beauty, inside out.