Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Challenge #7: What I See When I Look In The Mirror

This is me on the left. This is a visual reference so you can judge if I have poor eyesight or not. 

There are multiple layers of what I notice when glancing upon my reflection. Instinctually, or from years of practice, I immediately take a once over of what my hair is doing at that current moment. As anyone with curly hair can tell you, the lion's mane can be fierce and ferocious and usually in a not so cute way. 

After tucking in stray strands, applying bobby pins where necessary and smashing down frizzy sections, I move my focus onto my face. A quick glance tells me if I need to pop any zits or get a q-tip to fix any mascara smudges. Next I flash myself a large grin to check for anything that might be hiding out in between my teeth. Nothing beats that moment when you get home after a super long day and see that you've had broccoli stuck between your teeth for 12 hours. Great impressions were made that day for sure. That pretty much summarizes the extent of what I see in the mirror for my face. 

My body doesn't require nearly as much time and focus. One glance will tell me if I need to wear a looser fitting shirt that day or if I'm still good to wear a normal one. Another inventory item is bruises. I must check to see how I've induced bodily harm in my sleep. For some reason I really like to hurt myself while asleep so I must assume that I am having awesome dreams about fighting and kicking ass. There is absolutely no other explanation as to why I wake up with bruises on the regular. 

Beyond those immediate external issues staring in the mirror can stir up a variety of feelings based on my mood at that moment. The majority of the time when I look in the mirror I am pleased with what I see. I see a cute girl with a happy smile. I would say that is 85% of the time, the other 15% would be the bad days I have when I feel ugly or fat. Those are the days I could look into the mirror and find flaws and still be standing there hours later. Those are the days when I feel insecure and try to pick out which feature has driven away all the suitors or pinpoint why my clothes are fitting a little too tightly that day. 

However, I refuse to only use my reflection to judge my beauty. During those moments of weakness when I look in the mirror and know why I'm single, I look to the edges of my mirror where I have written in expo marker inspirational quotes and bible verses to inspire me in these very moments. I acknowledge my blah mood and then move forward. I walk away. 

Think about after taking a group picture with friends. What does every single person do the second after the flash? They want to look at the photo and analyze how they look. When looking through photos with friends, we always notice ourselves and our flaws. When our friend shares his/her concerns we look at them in the photo and laugh at how they could possibly see a flaw. The reason is we are extremely critical of ourselves. We would never sit and stare for hours at friends' photos and find their flaws, so why do we do this disservice to ourselves? We deserve better.

Instead of constantly critiquing my outward appearance I choose to look beyond the physical when I look in the mirror. I look inside into the caring, compassionate and funny soul that lies beneath and realize that I am beautiful. We are all beautiful in our own ways. We can't all be gorgeous, body builders. What we can affect is our inner beauty. So next time you look in the mirror take a real glance at who you are as a person and focus on improving those flaws because your extra zit doesn't bother anyone but you. While your character flaws can cause pain and damage to others. 

When I look in the mirror I see a work in progress. I see imperfections which I love because they make me unique. I see joy and notice how much prettier I appear when smiling. I see a sense of humor and a giving spirit. I see drive and determination. When I see all these great things it's hard to notice if a hair is out of place or my mascara is smudged because I am focused on my true beauty not the physical aesthetic that holds too much value within our culture. The most beautiful people in my life are average looking, but their souls are radiant. 

Please find the beauty within and make that your focus. You'll be happier which will make you smile more and everyone looks better when smiling :D