Facing Up to Our Truth

Many years later I look into the mirror and ask, “Do I like the face I see? The face that is an adult, my own face, which has over the years become mature and recognisable?” My answer to this now is yes, I would honestly say that I do. It is a face. It’s not a face of great beauty. But it is one of character. Perhaps it’s a face of knowing and a face that is alright to talk to and to share things with.

A few years ago I wouldn’t look in the mirror because I didn’t know or like the person I saw, but I like her now. I remember when I was seventeen I looked in the mirror and saw a young and attractive girl. I vowed I would never change. I wanted to stay at the age of seventeen forever. Don’t we all?

Part of me hasn’t really changed that much at all. And to be fair, people still recognize me from school even though I am nearly forty-six now. I see more wrinkles and perhaps the greying of hair. But I haven’t changed completely since the day I was seventeen. The main thing is, I will always be me and when I am old and I look in the mirror, I will still be me.

We see what we want in our mirrors as they reflect our life and feelings so much. There is no need to scream and hang on to a box anymore because I have moved into acceptance. Fortunately, this has comes after many years of non-acceptance and adjustment. The road is long.

Acceptance is definitely part of the silver lining, especially if we are able to accept who we are. Acceptance is a real gift, a gift bestowed on us by our Creator. We are all perfect in our truest sense. There is no mortal sin that needs to be healed, but rather, acceptance of our shortcomings. We constantly seek to balance the yin and the yang, the duality of our existence, to discover who we are.

We need to acknowledge both the light and the shadow. Our shadow side is necessary because it is by exploring our shadow we are able to find the light. Accept the shadow part of you and embrace that part of you. Because even though it does not express the good, it is still essential for us to gain mastery of it. The density of our shadow holds so many teachings for us.

My Shadow

I looked in the mirror and saw my shadow

It stood behind me and reminded me that there

Was still learning there

Still dark places to explore

If I explored these places another layer

Would be removed and I would in essence

Become less dense

The shadow is part of the acceptance of who I am

Acceptance

What I can accept is love not regrets

We cannot change time

Only move in line

We try to walk away from our shadows everyday

But inside we blame

We walk our many paths

Being guided through our hearts

We try to save our souls

Plunge through our empty holes

See the other side and let our feelings slide

And know that all along

We can only find our way

In the stillness of the moment

When there is nothing left to say