Ugly Rules

Posted by fheenix33 on October 13, 2009

By definition the word ugly means very unattractive, unpleasant to look at, offensive to the sense of beauty and displeasing in appearance.  As a society we tend to keep our distance from the ugly and gravitate towards things that tend to be appealing to the eye.  People take great lengths to surround themselves with beautiful things regardless of the cost or consequences.  After all, who wants to be the brunt of any comment that would include the word ugly?

If you were to ask my Mom, who is a frequent traveler, what her biggest travel tip is she would tell you one thing, “Buy the ugliest and most hideous strand of wide ribbon you can find and tie it to your luggage.”  My Mom has traveled to places like Mexico, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and Jamaica and this is the only bit of helpful information she has to give?  I thought she was out of her mind.

I adhered to this tidbit of advice the first time I traveled years ago.  I went to the craft store and bought the ugliest ribbon they had.  It was cheap…almost free.  The cashier smirked at it.  I knew she was wondering why I was purchasing such ugly ribbon and counting her blessings that she wasn’t on my Holiday gift giving list.  I tied it on my two luggage bags and left for my trip.   I happened to own luggage that was identical to several others.  Someone, who wasn’t paying attention, almost grabbed my suitcase and walked away.  The ugly bright green, pink and orange ribbon on it let me know that it was my mine.  Point taken Mom.

I’ve been hooked on ugly ever since.  I happen to think that there is a great deal of beauty in what most would consider ugly.  They are my treasures, my comforts and things that I often brag about.  You’ll find a trove of my beloved ugliness scattered around my house.  I don’t hide them.

I look down at my feet and I’m wearing ugly socks.  They are plastered with bright pink and red stripes.  They keep my feet warm and are the softest socks I’ve ever owned.  I got them for $0.25 at the store.  I bought all 10 pairs. No one else wanted them.  All of the beautiful pairs had been bought already.  I also own ugly mittens and scarves.  They have outlasted any other cold weather accessories that I’ve owned in the past.  I have a couple of ugly purses too that I absolutely love.  There is a sweet history behind them and they’ll never see the bottom of any trash bin.

The biggest and proudest piece of ugliness in my life is the house that we’ll be moving into shortly.  It’s next door and has been in Lori’s family for years and years.  We had planned on moving into the house a few years down the road, but due to Mom’s failing health and financial situation, we’re having to do this sooner than anticipated.   The house is run down and it’s obvious that there hasn’t been cosmetic work done on the inside in a long time.  It’s in rough shape.

For the past couple of weeks we’ve been assessing every square foot on the house trying to establish what needs to be done first and what can wait.  I’ve touched the walls, examined every nook and cranny and gone through items that have been stored in various rooms for at least 30 years.  I have come to love this great big ugly house.  This house is filled with rich history and stories.  We’ve decided to preserve all that we can that had been built by Lori’s grandfather including the banister and bathroom cabinets.  The rest of the cosmetic work will be done over time and blend in with what we preserve.

Ugly, by society’s standards, has a place in my life and I plan on keeping it there.