This week I went to PT for a running issue.  At one point I stood in front of the mirror in my running clothes, while the therapist went out to get something.  I happened to look at my legs and I lost my breath.  Those were not the young legs that I had 20 years ago, those were my 50+ year old legs.  The skin was not smooth looking and my “runner” legs looked old.  What happened? Yikes!!!

The mirror does not lie.

It made me wonder what we all think when we look in the mirror. What does my daughter think as a teenage girl?  Or my boys?  Or my father?  How do we define ourselves?

Most people don’t like what they see in the mirror.  It doesn’t reflect how we view ourselves and the mirror’s prone to point out our flaws. Remember the Evil Queen in Snow White and how she felt when the enchanted mirror told her that she was not the fairest of them all?   She, as we know, was a serious narcissist who looked to people for the view of herself rather than actual mirrors.  Most of us, are more realistic than that.  We don’t need complete validation from others to see our beauty.

What if the mirror could do more than just reflect back at us what we project onto it?  It might challenge us to our very core.  It might say things like, “I love you as you are.”  “Don’t look at the imperfections, look at your eyes and how alive you are.”  Or, “Accept me as is.”

But we don’t listen. And, when we do, the voice is faint compared to the negative self-voices which scream and drown everything else out.

Maybe the mirror at the PT’s office was speaking to me and I wasn’t listening.  Maybe when I looked in the mirror with my running gear on I should have heard, “Fast.”  Or “Strong.”  Or even, “Accomplished.”  Why not that as opposed to “old?” Where’s my positive voice?

Next time you look in the mirror, take the time to really look at the core of who you are. The love in your smile. The twinkle in your eyes.  And the wrinkles on your face – which show beautiful years of life! Encourage your girls to do the same.

Before John Legend completed his music video, You & I , he asked 63 different girls  – “What do you see when you look in the mirror?” The video is incredible. Girls and women replied by saying they initially didn’t like what they saw and tried to cover it up.  But by looking at their core being, they realized that they are unique and different from everyone else. And those differences make them special.  Just as you and I are special too.

The mirror loves us only as much as we love ourselves.  This is something we can (and should) work on. 🙂

Enjoy the video and your long holiday weekend!