Hot Mess Mama

My mirror lies, or at least it used to — until I caught it in the act and forced a reflection that is entirely more accurate.
I spent several weeks dismayed at what I was seeing in the full-length mirror in my bedroom.
How is this even possible?
How does one become so disproportionate overnight?
What the heck am I eating these nasty vegetables for?
Am I getting shorter?
Does that even happen this early in life?
I stewed and stewed over this, checking and rechecking my reflection willing it to change into what I wanted to see. But there was no change and I was left feeling defeated.
And then one night, I sat on my bed and glanced over at the root of my disappointment and discovered the real problem.
The mirror had bowed. I was using the equivalent of a circus fun house mirror to gauge my progress.
After I got a good laugh at the absurdity of being convinced that I was shrinking, I started to really think on what I had allowed to happen and a couple of important lessons came to mind.
One: I was trying to attain someone else’s idea of beauty. I believe beauty is carried within us, and that the bodies that carry us around are just there to keep that important cargo safe. To judge a body to me is like judging the crate a priceless work of art is shipped in. From the outside it is just a box, but what is protected within is extraordinary.
Two: It wasn’t just the mirror that was warped. As a society, we are trying to say we are getting away from the impossible standards. However, one scroll through Instagram will prove this to be untrue. Filtering away imperfection is just condemning it in a whisper instead of a shout. It’s still just as hurtful to our self-image and still perpetuates that demand for flawlessness.
Our ideals are warped and that will take time and loads of love to fix.
So how did I remedy this little dilemma?
I took charge of the image.
Every day, I walk up to my wonky mirror and show her who is boss. I use a marker and distort that skewed depiction with a word that gives my inner beauty the power to burst right through to the outside.
I’ve almost filled the frame with words of encouragement and self-love, and when I have, I will erase it and start over. Because within me is a world of endless and remarkable characteristics that no simple mirror could ever really show.
And please, believe me when I say my friends, there are just as many wonderous things about you — no matter what your mirror shows.