mirrors

imagine a world where there are no mirrors.

no cell phones or cameras.

no TikTok filters.

no ‘gram-worthy’ selfies.

imagine a world where the only way you can see yourself is through the way people light up whenever you’re around.

through hearing the sound of your own child-like laughter.

through the fire in your soul that lights when you’re doing something you love.

through the way you feel the sunshine on your face & the wind in your hair.

maybe then you wouldn’t constantly pick yourself apart in the mirror.

you wouldn’t scroll endlessly on social media & compare yourself to everyone else.

you wouldn’t pull out your phone to take a selfie only to be utterly disgusted at the way you look.

you wouldn’t snap a photo of a cute outfit & delete it right away because you hate the way your body looks.

maybe then you would love yourself the way you deserve to be loved, instead of being your own worst critic.

maybe then you would appreciate the beauty of those around you, instead of envying it.

maybe then you would simply soak in the sunshine, not caring about how it highlights your insecurities.

maybe, just maybe, you would focus on the things that truly matter in this life.

because while you’re sitting here, worrying about your acne. your hair. your body. what others think of you. or the ways you fall short.

you’re slowly wasting your life.

you’re spending too much time on things that are so small in the long run. & you’re missing out on the beauty all around you.

you’re not going to remember the pimple on your face. or the fact that your hair didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.

you’re not gonna remember the clothes you wore or the negative things people said about you.

you’re gonna remember spending time with your loved ones, laughing so hard it hurts.

you’re gonna remember the warmth of the sun on your face, the freedom of the wind tangling your hair.

you’re gonna remember the feeling of pursuing your passions & the genuine joy that it brought to you.

you’re gonna remember the deep conversations around a campfire, the sound of crackling wood & finding constellations in the sky.

you’re gonna remember how you felt in the moments. not how you looked in the mirrors.