A Daily Look Within – Day 14

A Daily Look Within Day 14

By Kathy Custren

“Reflections” – Lessons learned; Balance; Choices best for you

When we stand before a mirror or some other reflective surface, such as a piece of shiny glass, metal, or water, we are afforded a look at our physical self. Sometimes, we are surprised with what shines back at us. Maybe we find more gray hairs than we thought we had. Or perhaps the look of our eyes is not very welcoming. The turn of our mouth may be slightly up or down, or our lips may be thin with concentration.

We might decide that we form an opinion about what we see. We may admire our hair style, or tuck a stray hair back into place. We might adjust our glasses a little straighter, or even stick our tongue our in playful jest, eliciting more of a smile. We usually do recognize the face in the reflection as belonging to us…no matter how different than our expectations it might appear. Moreover, we may determine there is a sense of symmetry or balance in what is reflected at various levels that we find appealing.

But just as we can be taken aback by our physical image, what goes on inside… those internal reflections of the self…can be just as surprising. Similar to we can be caught off-guard by our physical reflection, many of us can avoid looking at our inward self, almost for fear of what we might find. It takes some time, maybe a little skill, and sometimes quite a bit of honesty to examine our internal processes and observe the reflections of our mind. We may question the effectiveness of the time we spend in reflection or meditation.