Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe
deserves your love and affection." - Buddha When was the last
time you looked into the mirror and said something nice to the
person you saw in the reflection? I sometimes wonder what the
world would be like if there were no handmade mirrors and, the
only reflections we saw were in the eyes and faces of those we
love and who love us. I bet that would stop us from looking for
what is "wrong" with us and shift our attention from what the
eyes see to what the heart offers. Our life journey takes us
down many different roads and often detours us away from
ourselves. We forget that we are all human beings designed with
imperfections. We may even be more supportive and encouraging to
friends and relatives than to our precious selves... Our selves
who long to hear those words of encouragement and support. Is it
any wonder that we feel so bad when we have been so neglected?
I'm sure that we have all tried do the "right" things....you
know, go to the right schools, meet the right people, get the
right job, marry the right person....Society often seduces us
into believing that if we do all of the "right" things then we
will be happy and successful. Many of us at midlife have
experienced that you can do all of the "right" things and still
find yourself waking up each day unhappy with who and where you
are in life. We finally understand in a very personal way that
what makes one person happy and successful is not always the
same for us. Yet, we are so far off from our own paths we don't
even know how to find the way back home... to ourselves.
To live an authentic life requires patience and quiet time. We
must be willing to step off the treadmill we've been running on
and set some time aside for ourselves. It may only be 15 minutes
each morning or before going to bed. Enjoy how good it feels to
be the most important person in your life. After all, without
you there is nothing.
In this quiet space you may even find a new path, one of your
own making, and one that just might lead you back to yourself.
Don't wait for someday. Begin now.