Have I Looked in the Mirror Lately?

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have!

I walked into the elevator the other day and was startled by who I saw. I was like I know this person, and then I realized that I was staring at myself in the elevator mirror. It was not funny at all. I shared this with my teaching partner the other day, and one of our students heard it and said, “So you finally got to see your ugly face in the mirror”. This student is 7 years old, and she is very unkind to me in general. She has called me an old hag several times. Initially, my feelings were hurt, and then I realized quite quickly that my student has ASD and that’s the way she talks to everyone. And in a not so strange way, she is speaking the truth. She also calls another staff member, with a receding hairline, ‘baldy’.

Ageing is natural and yet, I don’t believe many of us are well-equipped to deal with it. It is like a death before the real one. At least, with the latter, others are left to deal with it!

Recently, my mother remarked that she looks old. I found that a little shocking as she is still stunning in any room any day. I guess we all have an image of ourselves in our heads, and that image comes under scrutiny when we see ourselves in pictures or through other people’s eyes. I used to believe this is something only ordinary people deal with, but I guess this is perhaps harsher for people who are truly spectacular to behold.

So, what’s this all about? I guess with another birthday looming large, it is quite natural to look back on life and look at life in general.

This morning, I ran into a parent whom I have known for a while. I keep running into her at different schools and at various locations. She has a child with Autism. I made her acquaintance when her child was in kindergarten and now, he is 15. She is going through a challenging time as her child is getting bigger and stronger. I was glad to see her. Parents like her put things in perspective. Despite what life has given her, she runs with it, and she is a beautiful human being.

So, looking in a mirror and being startled is not that scary.