mirror, mirror on the wall ... is it good news?
/A self-talk recommendation on my daily affirmation calendar was this: “Every time I pass a mirror, I say out loud, ‘Hi, honey’ and wave.”
You can imagine what the scene was like at my house after following along, with Ray thinking I was cozying up to him when I was just sugar-coating myself, and with him being curious if a screw had loosened.
My house, like yours perhaps, is filled with mirrors room-to-room, floor-to-ceiling, lying in wait behind doors, bursting with light at the bottom of stairs, so I can routinely—okay obsessively—check how bad things are. Then I attempt any necessary repairs, which are always far short of the goal and often make me leave the scene of the affront with a sigh, not a wink and a wave.
All that has changed, though, because my affirmation calendars have been guiding my attitudes and behaviors for many a long day, many a successive year. Without a daily reminder to be upbeat—to envision a life more peaceful, empowered, and utopian—who knows how a year would transpire. Who knows how often the word shouted at that fickle mirror, mirror on the wall would be “Witch, witch, witch.”
Yet with age ascending even as newer styles reveal all—the wrinkles, the pouches, the cellulite—I’m reminded a little honey could go a long way toward making life a little sweeter. I mean, what can you do about the fact that your thighs, despite your best fitness efforts, and your belly, despite living on sugar-free this and fat-free that, continue to fight you? What can you do about the fact you were born who you are, which you’re still working to accept, affirmation by affirmation, like this one from the calendar: “My life gets more fabulous every day.”
Says who?
For that day, at least, says me.
But the mirror strategy still leaves me besotted. What a great idea, I think, as I pass the reflecting glass and note how often I ruin an otherwise good day by sabotaging myself with ridicule: Oh yeah, you look like you slept on a bus. Or, Oh yeah, better grab that hat and sunglasses before anyone recognizes you.
So much nicer, I must admit, and so much more gracious to give a nod, a thumbs up, a “Hi, honey,” and a fluttery wave each time the mirror hits me smack in the marionette lines.
I love you, honey!
An old friend once said the trick to having a good day is to take the last look in the morning into a mirror that does you justice. The one with the best lighting, perhaps with a soft candle nearby, that makes you feel somehow young and beautiful. I am good to go!
Even if the next mirror would show the bags under the eyes, the dark veins, the bulges.
I don’t know, honey, but I can tell you this: Since reading that affirmation, the mirrors in my house have occasionally laughed with me, not at me. Because it’s true what they say—it’s all about your attitude, your mental filter. For example, this declaration from the calendar: “I only accept beliefs that totally support me.”
Why not?
Pick yourself up, honey. Let’s give ourselves a break. Even the wicked queen who talked to the mirror, mirror on the wall got some good ratings before Snow White moved in, even if the queen did die at the end. Never mind about that.
Come on, honey. Let’s be good to go. Here’s waving right back at you.