“Is It True That We Are Also Beautiful?”: A Quiet Reflection From the Mountains

High in the mountains, where the wind blows cold and the land demands hard work, two sisters stand before a small, broken mirror.
The question one of them asks is simple, yet profound: “Is it true that we are also beautiful?”

Life here is shaped by the earth.
The wind reddens their cheeks and roughens their hands, carrying away not shine, but comfort.
They do not wear silk dresses like the girls pictured in books from the city, nor do their hair ribbons stay perfectly in place against the mountain breeze.

Sometimes, the younger sister wonders if the world below even notices them.
Lost among green valleys and winding brown roads, their lives feel invisible to those far away.
Yet within their home, another definition of beauty quietly takes root.

Their grandmother teaches them that beauty does not live on the surface.
She says it grows like crops in the soil — slowly, patiently, and with deep roots.
It is shaped by endurance, care, and connection to the land.

Beauty, the girl realizes, is found in her wool sweater that keeps her warm while tending sheep.
It lives in the shy smile shared over a piece of bread.
It reflects in her eyes, which hold the vast mountain sky — a sky that belongs only to them.

This story is not about poverty or isolation.
It is about dignity, identity, and a beauty forged through resilience.
In a world often focused on appearances, these quiet moments remind us that true beauty exists wherever strength and self-worth are allowed to grow.