People living in one day at a time recovery learn that life has tears, fears, and dishonest mirrors. Some of us don’t understand this, and some of us cannot admit it. Perhaps it is life’s dishonest mirrors that paints a picture for us that we can never be out of control. These dishonest mirrors tell us we can never show any hints of vulnerability. And heaven forbid if we ever display any other perceived signs of weakness. And of course these mirrors tell us that we have to do it all perfectly, and with ease without showing any hints of effort or difficulty. Even when young, when we looked at ourselves in these dishonest mirrors, few of us ever measured up to a point where we had healthy self-images. In reality, I am just paraphrasing words from Dr. Brene Brown’s Ted Talk based on her research on shame (It’s on youtube). When reality sets in, most of us realize that life has tears, fears, and dishonest mirrors. Perhaps some of us struggle more than others, but we all struggle. The dishonest mirrors are telling us we are supposed to live in a fairy-tale but now we know better. Some days can be really good and we all know what this can be like. Love who you see in a loving mirror with all their tears and all their fears. That amazing person is you. You would be surprised how beautiful you truly are.
