INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Being your true self is essential for developing your inner beauty. Reflect on your values, interests, and goals in life. Then, pursue what makes you happy. You can develop your authenticity by doing the following activities:  Notice how you feel in different situations, then do more of what feels right. Be open and honest with your friends. Don’t worry about being perfect because no one is. Be present in each moment by focusing on your 5 senses. Being grateful for what you have will make your inner beauty shine. Instead of complaining about what’s lacking in your life, focus on your blessings. Celebrate the people who are important to you, the talents or skills you possess, the opportunities you have, and the small comforts you enjoy. Here are some ways to express your gratitude:  Keep a gratitude journal to record the things you’re thankful for. Send your close friends cards that tell them how much they mean to you. Give small and meaningful gifts, like a poetry book, necklace, or painted stone. Tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Call people to check on them. You don’t need a lot of money to have abundance in life. You may be rich in time, talent, or creativity. Share what you have with others to help make people happy. This will help you have inner beauty. Here are some great ways to be generous:  Let people borrow your stuff. Give your time to help others. Share a meal with people in need. Bring snacks and drinks when you go to events. Give gifts to people in need around the holidays. Living with constant conflict and dealing with people who are toxic can drain you. This makes it hard to have inner beauty because you’re upset or exhausted all of the time. Instead, surround yourself with supportive, positive people who help you be your best self. Make sure you’re giving your friends, relatives, and partners the time, attention, and support that they need, as well.  Make time for your friends, especially those who’ve been there for you for awhile.  Make new friends to keep you growing and learning as a person. Nurture healthy relationships with family members. Avoid spending time with people who are toxic for you. Carrying around anger, sadness, and hate will weigh you down. While it’s hard to let go of your feelings when you’ve been hurt, doing so will help you find freedom. If you’re feeling negative emotions, identify them and why you feel that way. Then, release your emotions by sharing them. This will help you move on.  Release your emotions by talking to someone, by journaling, or by exercising when you feel upset. You might also find that being creative helps you find peace. If you’re struggling to let go of something that happened to you, write a letter to the person responsible, but don’t send it. Instead, tear up or burn the letter to release your feelings. If you’re struggling to let go of bad feelings, it may be best to see a counselor or therapist. Helping others and giving back are both great ways to develop inner beauty. Not only will other people recognize your goodness, you’ll also feel better about yourself. Here are some great ways to get involved:  Raise money for a local animal shelter. Buy from local businesses to help your community thrive. Volunteer at a local festival. Throw a block party for your neighbors. Start a book club for your community. Volunteer as a reading tutor at your local library or community center. You can choose to follow a religious path or to look within yourself for what feels like the truth. Connect with your inner spirit by meditating, praying, or reflecting on your values. Decide what’s important to you and then pursue your own version of the truth. This will help you develop your inner beauty.  If you have a chosen religious or spiritual path, read or listen to the great teachers who share your beliefs. Learn about different spiritual paths if you’re comfortable broadening your horizons. Find a way to see yourself as part of something larger so that you can be more compassionate toward your fellow humans. Inner beauty means developing understanding and being open to how others experience life. Be a lifetime learner by constantly reading and listening to others. Additionally, allow others to be who they are and try to learn from their experiences.  Meditate or reflect on your actions.  Read the works of wise people. You can learn a lot from novelists, poets, or historians. Reading can help you gain knowledge and put your ideas into perspective. Listen carefully to the ideas of people you genuinely respect. Explore different cultures through books, movies, and museums. You might even decide to learn a new language!

SUMMARY: Be authentic by staying true to who you are. Express gratitude for the good things in your life. Be generous with what you have. Maintain healthy relationships. Let go of bad feelings so you radiate goodness. Get involved in your community by volunteering. Look for spiritual truth. Seek wisdom by learning more and keeping an open mind.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Determine what size cage you'd like to make and find a bowl that is the diameter of what you need. Wash and dry the bowl. Spray the inside of it lightly with a little cooking spray so you can easily remove the sugar cage. Make sure the bowl you use can handle the high heat of the sugar syrup. Avoid using flimsy plastic or styrofoam bowls. Pour the somewhat cooled sugar syrup into a microwave-safe bowl. When the syrup is thickened to the consistency of honey, dip the tines of a fork into the syrup. Wave the fork over the bowl so that the syrup strands begin to cover the bowl and drape over the sides. Keep spinning the sugar until the cage is as thick and even as you'd like it. You'll need to be careful when handling the hot syrup, but work quickly. If the syrup in the bowl hardens too much, simply microwave it briefly so that it becomes syrupy again. At this point, you'll have a spun sugar cage nestled inside your bowl with long strands draping over the sides of the bowl. To clean up the look of your sugar cage, trip the edges of the bowl. Take a sharp chef's knife and trim along the edges of the bowl. To strengthen the sugar cage and make it easier to remove, you'll need to let the sugar cage set up for about 5 minutes. Once the cage has completely hardened, you'll need to unmold the sugar cage. Place your thumbs on the outside of the bowl and rest your other fingers on the inside so they're touching the sugar cage. Gently apply pressure so you can pull the cage up and away. If it seems like your sugar cage may break, move your hands and fingers to another point along the bowl. Applying even pressure can prevent the cage from breaking as you remove it. Set the sugar cage on top of your dessert and serve it immediately. The sugar cage will begin to absorb moisture from the air and it may fall apart if you wait too long to serve it. If the sugar cage is still too warm, it will collapse. If it begins to do this, place it back into the bowl so that it keeps its shape while it hardens.

SUMMARY:
Choose a bowl. Spin the sugar syrup over the bowl. Trim the rim of the sugar cage. Remove the cage from the bowl. Use the spun sugar cage.