When you look in the mirror…. what do you see?
Some answers to this might be your hair, long or short, your height, tall or short, or maybe your eyes, whether you think they’re an interesting color or big, whatever the reason. Each of us see different things when we look in the mirror. Do we see what we consider our “flaws” or the features that we are proud of?
This past weekend, I was out shopping for clothes when I passed by a large mirror. I stopped, a bit in surprise and a little self-consciously. I had noticed my legs and the way they twisted when I walked.
Believe me, I was not surprised that my feet were turned in. I’m aware that I walk like that usually, except for when I’m unusually loose or if I’m thinking about my feet. But for some reason, on this particular shopping trip, it hit me that this is how people might see me. A dorky-looking (which I’m not ashamed of) little girl with twisted-in feet. To be clear, this is not something to be ashamed of. I have a disability, a difference, and that is perfectly okay! All I’m saying is that right then I felt a little self-conscious and a little too aware of how I might have been perceived.
This might have bothered me for two reasons—one, because I work hard at physical therapy—until I’m exhausted, even—but as we all know, hard work doesn’t always lead to perfection. I am unbelievably appreciative of my circumstances, but at the store looking in that mirror I was a little depressed that my hard work hadn’t paid off quite as much as I had wanted it to. I know I am going to have to work hard, and I accept that. But I was bothered anyway.
The second reason that I was bothered is because I frequently make the mistake that a mirror is an accurate perception of what others see. This is not true. Mirrors cannot show our hardships and our struggles, our triumphs or our joys or our personalities, or our defining attributes. A mirror can only show what’s on the outside, and maybe not even an accurate depiction of that. The thing is, sometimes when we look in mirrors, we only see what we think of as our flaws.
“Oh, is my hair messed up?”
“Ugh, my face looks weird.”
But mirrors can also show the features that we like—whether you have “perfect” lips or sparkling eyes or whatever else.
So do you choose to focus on the good or the bad? Because here’s the thing—because mirrors can only show what’s on the outside, mirrors are actually very limited if you think of it that way. And if others choose to see only what’s on the outside of a person—not their personalities or passions—then those people are pretty limited, too.
If people choose to “see” me based on my legs, then that is their choice and their problem. And they really don’t see me at all. They don’t see all I’ve gone through. They don’t see my accomplishments or my sorrows. The only thing they see—or choose to see—is legs and feet that turn in a little. Wow. What a limited view.
So how do you see yourself?
The next time you need to reflect on yourself, don’t look in a mirror! No matter how much we all rely on it, a mirror can only show us so much!