The Hall of Mirrors
The people you surround yourself with, are your ‘hall of mirrors’.
Spend long enough around them and you risk forgetting who you actually are. You’ll see only a warped caricature or false version of yourself.
Some, will show the worst of you. You will appear unbalanced, ridiculous or reduced to a tiny insignificance. Your ugliness will be magnified.
This is not you.
You are allowing yourself to be distorted by someone’s self hate and hate of the world.
Other ‘mirrors’ will glorify you.
You will appear more than you are. They will flatter, overcompensate, blur reality and beautify you. Your flaws will cease to exist.
This is not you.
You are allowing yourself to be distorted by someone imposing their hopes and ideals upon you. They love a perfect image of you that you can never live up to.
The real you will always disappoint.
The best mirrors - and people - are those that neither embellish nor conceal.
They simply reveal.
Meaningful reflection is everything.
When I was a teenager, my friend Ann & I used to report to each other on exiting a strange bathroom or Ladies loo - 'good mirror' or 'horrible mirror' - which was nothing to do with accuracy of reflection, but all to do with how flattering the lighting was! 😂
With people however, I think 'kind mirror' is probably what we all hope for!
I like this. I first learnt about this way of seeing yourself when I read Miguel Ruiz , in his various books retelling the wisdom of his ancient Toltec people of Mexico