1/22/2006 7:32 PM
As Soon as I Sat Down to Write
…I started to feel better and forget the sore throat and head-ache that annoyed me. Writing has been comfort and my release – the anchor that pulls me down under warming caressing waters after the waves of pain shove me underneath. Writing is something I can do naturally. I may not be able to do cartwheels or always speak the right words or wear a size six, but I can write.
For this first blog entry, I was unsure of what to post like many others in this course, but I’ve decided to blog about identity and reflection. I was also unsure about length, and I apologize in advance if this is too long. Something I love about blogging is the responses in the form of comments as well as knowing that SOMEONE will read and SOMEONE will relate.
I associate reflection with identity because of what we see when we look in the mirror. Do we see someone who longs to be thin because of the diet world of America? Do we see lines of stress etched around the roundness of our faces? Do we see someone whose eyes criticize? Do we see someone who forgets to laugh because “life’s gotten just too hard?” Do we see someone who absorbs negativity into a frown? Do we see someone whose mouth shoots words of ridicule about one person to make others laugh? Do we see someone whose eyes crinkle with anger?
Do we see someone whose eyes crinkle with joy and laughter? Do we see someone who smiles from the heart?
When I look in the mirror, I smile because God has given me a new day and I’m alive. I smile because I have both hands and both feet to do God’s will because I know that others do not. I think about what so many people take for granted – how so many people are lazy and satisfied with their everyday lives that they do not rise higher. I question why some parents don’t let their kids go to church or tell them that they are loved. I try to understand why thirteen year olds get pregnant because no one ever told them right from wrong or said “I love you.”
In my experiences as a substitute teacher, I have noticed how the children look up to me. It’s then I glance in the mirror and I wonder, “what do I want them to see?” Do I want them to see my frustration or impatience? No, I want them to see a positive attitude and enjoy the atmosphere of a learning environment. I understand that what we see in the mirror is a reflection of ourselves. Most importantly, our reflections are what others see and interpret about our identity. What kind of example do we want to set for the next generation?
