They say everyone in our lives acts as a mirror, at various times reflecting who we were, are, or desire to be. That has been most evident to me as of late. Sometimes I would almost swear the characters of my life are characters in a play, too on-the-mark to be “real” (but that is a tangent for another day).
A great example of this is when I first moved to NY. I have been very blessed to meet friends of friends and through one of these introductions, I met a very lovely man who had also recently re-located to the city. With art as the common denominator, we became fast friends and I started to see my reflection more clearly through his eyes. You see in leaving SF, I also left behind 3 of the 3 factors which I felt defined me: my dog, my gallery and my long hair.
My move was a confident and faith-based maneuver and though I knew from the top of my newly sheared locks to the bottom of my well-grounded soul that this was the right thing for me, I wasn’t sure who “me” would end up being. The beauty of this of course is the opportunity for re-invention but I had finally found the me I liked — dare I say loved — and to come here empty handed I wasn’t certain how I would translate to new people in my life until meeting him.
His reflection was also one of re-invention as his chosen career was currently on hold, his living situation the same as mine (non-existant) and our financial means equaled at zero. Yet what I saw in him that I had been unable to see in myself was the ability to know and trust yourself enough that these things were a part of us not the definition of us. We each knew who we were and would again be, regardless of the standard trappings.
I grew in admiration towards him and unified we each claimed stake to rebuilding our lives. The sadness is that unification was also the shattering point and as we each moved forward on our respective paths realizing the vast difference between mirrors and the static image we were both wise enough to appreciate. He had shown me what he was intended to show. A lesson on looking past the mere glance of what is obvious on the surface to the image beyond, the one that ultimately leaves the lasting impression also known as the true self.
Sharon, I hope you are keeping all of these blogs where you can get to them. They are truly good and eye opening. You have talent that I’m not sure you realize. If you haven’t already, you might consider trying to get something published. In anycase, I enjoy reading about you and your life. Eventhough it sometimes makes me sad for what I’ve lost in friendships over the years, and the decisions I made that caused the separations. Keep up the good work my Friend.