I’m grateful that I was an ugly child. via /r/gratitude

It gave me a deep sense of sensitivity and humanity.
The pain was very difficult—being rejected, invisible, not welcome everywhere. Added to that was the lack of love from my parents (I'm gay and come from a conservative family), the lack of encouragement, protection, guidance, and care.

I was a child/teen with severe acne, very thin, and I had a serious jaw formation issue and bruxism, which almost made me lose my teeth. My dental arch was very deformed. Fortunately, I started treatments early—orthodontic braces and eventually jaw surgery.
I went from someone with no chin to someone with a very beautiful face, a beautiful jawline and perfect teeth.

This transformation happened during the last two years of high school. Around that time, I also started going to the gym, so I began to develop a body that drew attention, along with a conventionally attractive face for a white man.
From the "ugliest" kid to the most handsome teenager in school — it was a huge transformation.

Everything changed. People started treating me well, smiling excessively, trying to please me, wanting to be around me. But deep down, I could tell that most of them didn’t really like me—they liked what beauty could give them.

I see so many people lost in these superficial matters—but not me. I can see the soul of people very quickly.
Today, I'm an adult man, married to another man who is short, outside the beauty standards, and overweight.
To me, he is the most beautiful man in the world. I see beauty in all kinds of people—of every size, color, and shape. I've never been attracted to someone who fits the beauty standard like I do.

I'm a happy man, and I'm happy to have a joyful married life—especially when I see so many men and women lost and lonely in life chasing after the most "perfect" partner that they can possibly get.