Reflection can mean two things:

This blog idea came to me as I walked by a store window. Honest to God, when I was a teenager I had a difficult time looking at myself in the mirror. I would walk past storefronts and not look at my reflection. Wow, it was not good.

It’s amazing what being traumatized can do to a soul. We can only feel what we are capable of feeling. Our minds allow only enough information that we can process, protecting ourselves from ill effects. Those poor people with nervous breakdowns tried to process stuff all at once, which breaks down the brain and forces us to take a rest. We don’t want that.

We also can’t live sweeping everything under the carpet either. Eventually, the carpet gets lumps all over, and you can’t avoid them. That’s what happened to me. My carpet was full of past landmines I couldn’t deal with, so I didn’t. But when the telltale signs are as bright as Times Square signage, it’s time to reflect.

I guess I’m referring to thinking about things and reflecting, but what I was going for here was to look at our reflection in the mirror.

It’s time to reflect on us. Look at yourself, into your eyes. What do you see? Can you do it? I could now, but that was not always the case. Sure, I looked at myself to do my hair or makeup or check out my outfit and stuff like that, but I didn’t look into my eyes – the window to the soul.

What is your soul telling you?

When I was able to really see, my soul screamed, “It’s about freaking time!”

See, when you look into your eyes, you get a clear picture of yourself. Are you a happy you? Are you a wounded you? Are you a satisfied you?

Your eyes will show you the truth, and you can’t hide from that.

What is your reflection telling you?

Like the lyrics, “To mold a new reality, Closer to the heart” (from Rush’s song “Closer to the Heart”) for us to change our lives, we have to look into our eyes and figure out what we want. Whatever is closer to the heart is what is true.

Take a few seconds to stop what you’re doing and look into your eyes.

Let your eyes tell you what you need to know.

The answers are inside us; we need to flesh them out.

It might be painful, but trust me, it’s worth it. Seeing who we are is a precious feeling we all deserve. When we connect with ourselves, life matters more. We pay attention to our feelings. Human beings have emotions for a reason. Emotions allow us to feel and experience life. If we shut down our feelings or emotions, we lose sight of reality and live in a protected state; we put ourselves under the carpet with all the other stuff we don’t want to handle.

I’m here to tell you it’s okay. It’s okay to be not okay. It’s okay to want more for your life and strive for what you desire. It’s okay to take a rest and listen to your heart. It’s okay to do and be whatever you want, so long as you don’t harm yourself, someone else, or something else.

Take a breath. It’s okay.

Thank you for reading this.

To a reflection you love to look at,

Francesca