Mirror, Mirror On The Wall...

While looking at my reflection in a handheld mirror the other morning, applying my make-up, the glass object slipped out of my hand all of a sudden. I fumbled with it for a while, as it jumped in and out of my palms, in between my fingers, while the shiny surface reflected the sun, blinding me with its brilliance, until it finally dropped onto the tiled bathroom floor. I watched this event, almost in slow motion, as I cringed and instinctively shut my eyes and raised my shoulders towards my ears in a reflex, but a futile attempt to protect them, expecting that familiar loud and extremely uncomfortable sound of shattering - sharp pieces flying in all directions. The thought of seven years of bad luck enveloped my consciousness, while I wished I could turn back time...

But no such sound came however, only a muffled noise resembling the one when a china plate is tossed onto a clothed table. When I looked down, I could see the mirror was intact. As luck had it, I was standing on my new, very thick and lavish bathroom mat, which miraculously softened the effect of the fall.

I think I exhaled with a relief and even smiled, at the thought of not having my luck run out with yet another broken mirror; I have broken a few in my life. I am not overly superstitious, but I sure have had my share of bad luck - not that I blame that on broken mirrors of my past.
As I picked up the silver object, to continue with my morning routine, mixed thoughts about mirrors and their meaning entered my mind, causing me to pause for a moment, while studying my own reflection.

The term mirror is used so freely in our vocabulary, as the idea of a reflection is such an important one. Even I use it in the title of this blog...
We look for reflection of oursleves in our physical form, but the mirrors that capture our interest are not just those we hold to our face, but also the ones that reflect our inner self, our inner beings and our inner most thoughts and emotions.

We look for our reflection in our surroundings and in the effect we have on other people. The reflection of us is not only seen in the calm surface of water on a sunny day, but also in the way we touch the lives of others with our actions. Or perhaps it can be spotted in the work of art or of other nature, including our deeds, which we leave behind in our footsteps. We long to be satisfied with what we see, whether it is the physical form that stares back at us or the abstract form, that can be sensed by the way others view us. Eventually, these two are intertwined as the later one is what makes the former look beautiful...

The eyes are "the mirrors of our soul" and as such we scrutinize the gazes of strangers. Then again, we can see ourselves in others, whether it is in the smile of loved ones or the faces of our children.

Mirrors must be one of the most common objects with which we come into contact daily. They are present in every household, in restrooms of all public buildings, in hotel rooms and even elevators. And in most purses of women - and even in the pockets of some men. They are the objects of art, with its potential to create labyrinths and playing trick with our perception, expanding our sense of depth into infinity, effecting our feeling of perspective, making us laugh and loose control. In a more serious sense, mirrors are part of state of the art technology, as they are used in high definition televisions, projectors, telescopes and multitude of military applications; in fact it has been said that Archimedes used a large array of mirrors to burn Roman ships during an attack on Syracuse.

Last, but not least, mirrors are used in folklore, fairy tales and fables, often instigating vanity and preoccupation with out physical attributes. And ultimately, mirrors are considered the sources of superstition, the gateways to the unknown, perhaps windows to parallel worlds or dimensions and the tools of witchcraft and sorcery.

Indeed, the term mirror, whether in its pure physical form or an abstract form, is an object of importance, despite it being viewed with a slightly negative perception.
Ultimately I hope that the reflection I see in all the mirrors of my life makes me not shun away from my own reflection...
No matter how many mirrors I am yet about to break.