Mirrors are funny. They’re reflections that show us who we are or who we wish we were. Some could say that’s a little too deep for a mirror, but honestly think about it. Each morning you wake up and look at your reflection. Whether you are waking up from a 10-hour sleep, a horrible night out or a two-hour nap to go take your 9 a.m. test, you see what you feel. Do you like yourself every morning? I don’t mean like what you see, but do you like what you feel? I’m sure you see your reflection several times in a day, but let’s jump forward to night time. I know, or hope, that everyone brushes their teeth at night. Again, you look in the mirror. You may have bags under your eyes after a long day. You may have tears in your eyes because you can’t understand the feelings you’re seeing or you just know them all too well. No matter what you see, whether it is pain, happiness, laughter, love or sadness, understand that you should be proud of the person you see staring back at you. Here’s why.
Let’s say that you made a mistake. You hurt yourself or someone else, unintentionally of course, but the guilt is really getting to you. It might be harder to handle the feelings reflected back at you. Maybe you won’t look as long. Mistakes are lessons. Each one is an opportunity to learn something about yourself. Know that. Next time, be proud of the lesson you learned and not ashamed of one mistake. You are so much more than one mistake. You’re a million mistakes, and they make you the person you are.
Now, think back or remember hurt. When someone hurts you, it feels like a part of your heart is missing. Vulnerability is a scary thing. You can’t control the pain you feel, but you can control the way you handle it. Remember that time you cried. I mean really cried. The next thing you do is get up to see how red your face is this time. Your friend snap-chatted you, but you can’t reply looking like that. Mirrors also reflect truth. Your eyes are swollen, your face is red and maybe your mascara is running. It’s true; sometimes you do look the way you feel. That pain makes you stronger, so be proud of that. Maybe the next time you cry, your eyes won’t be so red and the missing piece of your heart gets a little smaller. Stronger.
What about happiness and love? The feeling you get when you look in the mirror and like what you see. It’s absolutely priceless. Remember the special moments that carry you through the hard times. For me, my moment was in the fourth grade. I was standing on the second level of the Eiffel Tower, and for the first time I understood that the world was so much bigger than I imagined. I was but this little girl looking out on a big world. I learned to appreciate the beauty the world had to offer, and I would get to explore all of it. So if your moment makes your heart smile, hold onto it. When you stare at yourself in the mirror, smile and remember that you are blessed.
You will look into a mirror every day of your life. Be proud of the person staring back at you. Mistakes are lessons. Pain makes you stronger. Happy hearts beat inside happy people. Learn to love the person you see. Mirrors are used for more than checking yourself out on the outside. After all, it’s not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside that counts.
