Imagine my surprise when the young girl behind the counter at the local pizza place told ME I have the “prettiest eyebrows.”
Let me set the scene. My FIL and I set out to pick up lunch on Sunday. I had just showered and pulled my hair into a bun (typical!). No makeup AT ALL, dark circles galore, and skin that is way less than perfect right now.
I walked in ready to pay, grab the pizza, and walk right out. Her comment took me by surprise. So much so that I turned around to see who she was talking to. I love me some pretty eyebrows!
When I realized she was talking to me, I laughed a little and said thanks. What I wanted to say was, “Oh my goodness, are you crazy?! These things? They are far from pretty and not filled in at all, but thank you. You made this very tired mama’s day!”
I guess I wasn’t ready to show my crazy that day!
When I got back in the car, I thought more about her comment and my immediate internal dialogue. Here I was thinking I was showing up at my worst, not feeling pretty at all. And here was this total stranger who saw something she liked in me. My eyebrows at that! Truth be told, they aren’t my favorite feature, but she honestly could’ve complimented anything and I would’ve reacted the same way.
All this goes to prove something I already know but tend to forget, especially when it comes to me, myself, and I. What we see in the mirror is not a true reflection of who we are. What I mean by this is that most of us tend to pick ourselves apart…physically and mentally. We only see and focus on our so called flaws. When others look at us, they tend to see and focus on the good. Even total strangers!
I can’t tell you how many times I find myself in conversations with people where I say, “Are you kidding? I love your _____.” Or, “Really? I never even noticed _____.”
From that very kind comment, here’s the message I ultimately walked away with – Be kind(er) to yourself. Talk to yourself the way you would a friend or even a total stranger. And maybe don’t stare at the mirror for too long! 🙂
Happy holidays to YOU!
Sadaf F k. says
December 20, 2017 at 11:48 am“What we see in the mirror is not a true reflection of who we are.” It got me thinking! This is true that we don’t really appreciate the good in us. Probably because we constantly keep judging ourselves to the BEST out there, which isn’t the good practice.
Parita says
December 24, 2017 at 9:12 pmYes, exactly! We don’t stop and think about the great attributes we have whether physical or mental. This was a great reminder for me to look more inwards!