On yesterday’s edition of Operation Beautiful, I posted an e-mail from Yvonne describing how she found an Operation Beautiful note: 

 

"I was at the Philly Airport on July 6th on my way home to Oakland, Ca and found a post it in my bathroom stall with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt and this website address. Thank you… who ever put it there!" 

 

And a few hours after that post went up, I received this e-mail from Kimberly

 

"THAT WAS ME!! I was on my way home from a weekend at my parents’ house, celebrating my first time in three years being there without any eating-disordered behaviors and generally feeling confident in my recovery, so I wanted to share that hope with the world. The quote was "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

 

Erica posted this note in a bathroom:

stellas

She wrote, "I put this up in the window at a very busy local diner. After we sat down to eat, a group of four girls ranging from ages 7-12 or so came out of the bathroom — all together, as girls do — with huge smiles on their faces. I heard them saying about how cool it was that there was a star on the mirror saying that they were beautiful just the way they are. One of the girls, probably the oldest, was beautiful – a huge grin, long blonde hair, and a bit chubby. She had the biggest grin of all. They were all telling their dad about the Post It and saying how cool it was. I could tell it totally made their day.  I reached into my purse and wrote another one on the star paper. As they were walking out, I said, "Hey girls!" The blonde girl looked at me and I handed her the star. She read it and got the HUGEST grin from ear to ear. She whispered to the other girls as they walked out and they all got so excited.   She walked past the window outside, turned around, stopped, looked right at me, and smiled an appreciative smile while she waved. I knew she was saying "Thank you".  It absolutely touched me beyond words."

 

To read more notes, go to Operation Beautiful.  If you want to participate, write a note, take a picture, and email it to me at seebriderun@gmail.com!

{ 23 comments }

 

  • leslie July 9, 2009, 12:00 pm

    caitlin, you shouldn't care about a single negative comment that people have said about operation beautiful, because my entire face just lit up when i read both those stories. the positivity and connection you have created in the female community is SO beautiful! it makes me smile every day. 🙂

  • Sara July 9, 2009, 12:02 pm

    That's such as awesome story about the little girls!

  • Rachel July 9, 2009, 12:04 pm

    Ohmygosh, I love these stories! Thank you so much for sharing them on here. I love seeing how we can support each other, even strangers.

  • brandi July 9, 2009, 12:09 pm

    awesome 🙂 it's amazing how this is just growing like wild fire.

  • EatRunLitigate July 9, 2009, 12:10 pm

    I below to a LiveJournal group (lose_the_weight) that has all locked posts so you can't see them unless you are a member of the group. But I wanted to let you know that one of the women posted about Operation Beautiful the other day and so the message continues to be passed along.

  • Joelle (The Pancake Girl) July 9, 2009, 12:15 pm

    What an amazing story.. makes me smile!

  • Special K July 9, 2009, 12:23 pm

    Okay….so I am almost in tears of joy. These are the stories we need to hear.
    http://thespecialktreatment.wordpress.com/

  • teacherwoman July 9, 2009, 12:45 pm

    Wow! That's awesome. Operation Beautiful is spreading like wildfires!

  • Susan July 9, 2009, 12:59 pm

    I guess it's also good to keep in mind that a lot of our produce comes from overseas. Trade agreements and wage issues all start to factor in there too. Ahhh globalization… We can't help it though, humans have been trading food for a VERY long time.

    You HAVE to check out the 100 Mile Diet: http://100milediet.org/

    The Canadian Food Channel also did a series on it: http://100mile.foodtv.ca/

    Definitely changed my outlook on the realities of eating locally!

  • Shannon (The Daily Balance) July 9, 2009, 12:59 pm

    what a fantastic story! LOVE IT! 😉

  • J July 9, 2009, 1:09 pm

    Awww, I got chills reading Erica's story. That is awesome!

  • Andrea of Care to Eat July 9, 2009, 1:50 pm

    These are the best stories yet!

  • just me July 9, 2009, 1:52 pm

    totally awesome.

  • Paige@ Running Around Normal July 9, 2009, 2:13 pm

    Aw that's awesome! Makes it all worth it, huh? I need to take a picture of the next one I leave…

  • Ashley July 9, 2009, 2:26 pm

    Hey Caitlin! I posted this on your last post before realizing you had a newer one. I hope this is not too personal, I was wondering if you are still eating about 1800 calories on non active days and more on exercise days since becoming vegetarian and cutting down on your exercise. How have you found your intake levels and hunger levels affected?

  • Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point July 9, 2009, 2:27 pm

    ashley – honestly i have no idea — i havent calorie counted recently. but i would say probably yes because my weight hasn't changed. i think the only way being veggie has affected my hunger levels is that i generally feel lighter and have less stomach issues than when i was eating meat.

  • Carrie H July 9, 2009, 3:17 pm

    Hey — Just wanted to let you know that I am still participating in Operation Beautiful, but I'm not sending each message in! There would just be too many! he he. Thanks, girlie!

  • MarathonVal July 9, 2009, 4:30 pm

    Wow. I've said before that OB is something I could work into my practice as a school social worker, because as we all know, adolescent girls need a bit of support in this area! So reading this story almost made me tear up about the young girls. Love this!

    PS, I'm hosting a Holey Donuts giveaway on my blog until next Wednesday if you are interested!

  • Bek July 9, 2009, 4:39 pm

    I am so glad you started Operation Beautiful; because of my love for making peoples days better I have started carrying a pack of Post-Its with me where ever I go so I can leave inspiring notes. I left one in the bathroom at my work the other day and my coworker, who had been having a rough morning, went in and when she came out she had the biggest smile on her face. It feels like we are all working together to make the world a better place :]

  • Susan July 9, 2009, 4:41 pm

    Oops! I meant to leave the above comment on the lobbying lettuce post. You get the point 😛

  • JennyMarie July 9, 2009, 4:52 pm

    Love what you got started. Go Operation Beautiful!

  • kArLy July 9, 2009, 5:26 pm

    Although I think the story about the litte girls is cute, was it the best idea to write in the story about how the one girl was a bit chubby? I mean, she put the address for the website on the note, so if this girl goes to operationbeautiful.com and she will recognizes the note and the story the girl left with it. Is it going to make her feel beautiful knowing that a stranger referred to her as chubby? I don't know but I think if it was me, that would probably upset me…even if it was true.

  • roseyrebecca July 9, 2009, 8:50 pm

    I've been waiting to spot an Operation Beautiful post it somewhere. When I do, I'm going to take a picture and send it to you immediately. I love how it is connecting people!!

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