The other day at Bed Bath & Beyond, after having wandered through the aisles of picture frames, kitchenware, and fabrics, I arrived in front of the mirrors. Normally I am indifferent to mirrors. I glance, then turn away. But then there are the "blemish mirrors" as I call them.
The sole purpose of a blemish mirror is to reveal imperfections in order to fix them. I typically avoid these mirrors because they make me want to walk around with a paper bag on my head... It doesn't matter if I'm having a "good looks day" or a bad one, the mirror is brutal. It shows every pore in a magnified fashion. It shows dark circles under the eyes, stray hairs, and yellow teeth. Ultimately, it magnifies flaws.
But sometimes a blemish mirror like this is necessary. It catches small problems that very soon could turn into much larger ones ... that could be seen from a great distance away. Though it hurts, it's sometimes helpful and good to peer at myself through the blemish mirror.
I am also learning that even though it's humiliating, sometimes it's helpful to allow someone close enough to see the imperfections. Someone who loves me despite my flaws, but someone who really needs to be let closer to see what's truly going on.
A blemish mirror does not collect information on your blemishes and store it in order to show it to other people. No. A blemish mirror reveals blemishes in order to help fix them.
A "blemish friend" sees all the ugliness and loves anyway. A blemish friend doesn't save juicy details to regurgitate later. A blemish friend simply allows the reflection to last long enough to fix.
I'm thankful for the ones who are close enough to see my imperfections, but who love me enough not to run.
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