you're beautiful...

there is always something undeniably unnerving about hearing the words "you're beautiful" from someone. i feel so compelled to ask "really?" even if i know that they'd never lie to me; and it makes me sad that i have to ask that. maybe someday i'll grow out of it, but for now i guess it's just a leftover from the past number of years. i was never particularly pretty- at least, not as far as i was ever aware- and it eventually became an issue for me, to the point where any guy who seemed to take any notice of me at all was a godsend. and i made stupid mistakes and embarrassed myself and got hurt quite a bit over the years all because of those little words...

but eventually i learned that you don't have to be thought of as beautiful to be loved, and you don't have to love everyone who says it to you.

and it's all right if hearing it makes you cry.