Greetings from the Governor’s Harbor Airport in Eleuthera, Bahamas! For the last week and a half, I have been vacationing here, spending time with loved ones and relaxing in the sun. This is why there have been no blog posts. I wanted to leave a post the first day we arrived on the island, but there was no internet in our house, so I had no way of posting anything that I wrote.
One of the mornings here on the island, I stumbled across a book which inspired me to write today’s post. Aside from journal entries, this is the only thing I wrote during my time in the Bahamas. I hope you enjoy it.
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The sunrises on Eleuthera are absolutely breathtaking! Combined with the pink sand, it’s more than a taste of paradise.
Thin. Curvy. Book smart. Dumb. Loyal. Quiet. Strong. Weak. Short. Rich. Poor. Beautiful. Plain. Athletic. Lazy. Optimistic. Indifferent. Alone. Afraid. Angry. Loving. Kind.
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? A list of “somethings,” like those listed above, or an individual — someone who is uniquely, wonderfully and fearfully made?
Maybe your reflection has become clouded by these “somethings.” And then somehow, over time, maybe these descriptors have become the only thing you see splashed across the mirror.
Maybe there are words you want to change, or words you wish could be erased. For whatever reason, maybe you think that changing those words would uncover what’s been lost beneath the black scribbled haze of words that coat the plexiglass in front of you.
Here’s the thing about mirrors: they are one-sided.
There’s no depth. What you see is what you get, and what you see is all a matter of perspective.
When we strive to be something rather than someone, we risk becoming consumed with the superficial self. Rather than appreciating ourselves for who we really are, we sell ourselves short and settle for only a glimpse, a fragment of what lies within.
TIME TO BE SOMEBODY.
How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something, but to be someone. -Coco Chanel
Somethings. They have a way of becoming ultimate things, don’t they? The trouble with these characteristics is that everyone views them differently. What you see as beautiful or desirable, others may count as unimportant. After all, these descriptors are man made, created to distinguish the differences among people. (Don’t believe me? Just think: if we were all the same, why would we need words to label one another with?)
We must erase the words that have overtaken our mirrors. Doing so will lead to a brighter, clearer and better perspective.
Coco was right; when we see ourself as someone — not something — we are free to just be. All cares, all striving ends, and what’s left is how life was intended to be: free from frivolous worry and self-preoccupation.
What do you hope others see when they look at you? Do you hope they see you as something … a descriptor, an adjective, etc., or do you hope they see you rather not as something but someone. Someone who has a unique story and perspective, someone who is special and could never be replaced.
Truth lies in being someone, not something.
Question: Where’s your perspective?
