I don't know her name. I don't know how old she is. In fact, I don't really know anything about her, other than the fact that she swims at the same pool my daughter takes lessons. But she has inspired me.

I first met her about three or four weeks ago when I was drying off my eldest and getting her ready to come home. Probably in her late 50s early 60s, she came into the locker room with a smile on her face and her tote bag in hand. Rather than veer to the right into the "18 and older only" room, she came into the common changing room and proceeded to change into her bathing attire.

Now, this open changing room has provided plenty of opportunities to work on teaching my children not to stare. The two-year-old is particularly bad about it, and I am usually distracted by the needs of her sister, the swimming student, and do not notice her rude stare until it has already been effective in embarrassing the recipient. But this lady didn't mind.

Why did she inspire me? It is not because she is trim and fit at her age, because she is not. Her body looks like the body of a woman who has born babies and enjoyed some treats in her life. No, it was not the size or condition of her body that inspired me.

What inspired me was the fact that she was comfortable in her own skin. Without going into too much detail, I will just say that while she was appropriate in her changing in front of children, she did not make an excessive effort at covering up. She simply changed. It didn't matter to her that my girls might see her rolls, dimpled thighs, and sagging belly. She was comfortable with who she was.

I want to be like her. As someone who has always struggled with body image issues, I want to show my children that beauty is more than just a trim tummy and dimple-free thighs. Beauty is in the smile of an older woman who didn't mind the stares of my ill-mannered daughter. Beauty is in the marks a mother holds on her belly after carrying her children inside. True beauty is even found in the calloused hands of a man who works hard day in and day out to provide for his family.

So thank you, random stranger at the pool, for what you taught me. It is a lesson I hope to remember and teach to my own children.

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