You are beautiful

Made you smile. Come on... don't try and hide it.

There's a blue mailbox on my corner. The other day I was dropping some bills in it, and as I tilted its door open, I noticed that someone had placed a sticker on the inside of the door. The sticker read: "You are beautiful."

How unexpected. And such a nice sentiment, directed at no one in particular, but at everyone -- perhaps at some people who have gone for too long without contemplating beauty as it might apply to themselves. I imagine most of what is dropped off in that box consists of bill payments. We arrive there still pressing the moistened adhesive flap against the back of the envelope. We know what our checkbook balance is; we have just done the subtraction and inscribed the numbers in the register. And we could use a little affirmation.