the truth about the truth

perception

I was completely convinced it was true. It didn’t even occur to me to question it. Even though it was the first time I’d looked in a mirror and seen myself that way. Our new building has a mirror in the lobby. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. You. Staring back. Or holding grocery bags, struggling with your keys, or collapsing your umbrella. And since we moved into our new building, I’ve been met with this image of myself every day. Except it was different. I looked strange. It wasn’t a difference I liked. I didn’t look like me.

reality

I’d stand waiting for the elevator with my grocery bags, collapsed umbrella and pocketed keys–while avoiding looking in the mirror. Trying not to think about it. Quieting the inner critic. Giving myself love. A lot can happen in the minute or two it takes an elevator to arrive. Today, I finally realized what was going on. You probably guessed it already. The mirror is skewed. It has tiny, nearly imperceptible waves in it. The image it reflects back isn’t accurate. It’s not true.

truth

The way we do one thing is the way we do everything…and in the midst of seeing a faulty mirror reflection as the true reflection of me, I was also catching myself looking to others to tell me who I was. The truth is that we all walk around with filters over our eyes–from past experiences, meanings we’ve made of memories, things other people have told us. And the filters impact our perception–including our perception of others. So when we look at someone else, we see them through our own experiences, fears, and meanings. And when other people look at us, they do the same. The vision they see of us is more a reflection of them, than it is of ourselves. And the skewed mirror was a powerful reminder that the truth of who we are can’t be seen when we look outside ourselves. It comes straight from within.

TODAY

Without fanfare or alerts, without announcements or grand statements, simply let go. Let go of looking outside for answers. Let go of believing that what’s reflected back at you–whether in a mirror or from other people–is the truth. Quietly pause, breathe deeply, and from a place of peace see the true that’s within.

Today’s tweetable

@lindsey_lewis: The truth of who we are comes straight from within. Thinking of you, xL