Reflection…

Ever wondered what someone is thinking when you see them looking off into the distance at nothing in particular?  Do you ever put yourself into their thoughts and imagine?  If you know the person and their particular circumstances, you might be able to see into their reflection.  If they are total strangers then you get to imagine and wonder.

Our world is a busy place and I truly believe that we don’t stop long enough to take the time to reflect and contemplate and think on those things happening in our lives.  For some people, stopping to reflect is too painful and does not allow them to escape that very thing they need to spend some time reflecting upon.  I had that very conversation with a dear friend recently.  If you don’t think about it, then it does not exist.  For others, too much reflection can keep them from moving forward because they never think they have it all together.  As an educator, reflection is an invaluable part of my job.  The only way to improve my practice is to stop and reflect upon what I’ve done, celebrate the successes and change that which is not working.  In order to grow, I must reflect.

To reflect is to give evidence of a certain behavior or to show an image of.  When we reflect, we look at the evidence of what we’ve done. When we look in a mirror and see our reflection, we are seeing an image of ourselves.  Think about the people in your life that avoid mirrors so as to not see their reflection.  Is it a physical picture of themselves they don’t want to see or is it the reflection of their heart and soul that they are avoiding?  If I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see then I know that I need to make some changes… which involves reflection.

Recently, I’ve been watching for reflection in those around me.  I don’t know whether or not cats officially reflect, but when I am too busy to stop and take the time, my sweet Abigail gently reminds me without uttering a single word.

Babies are not too busy to stop and reflect.  Ever wonder what is going through the mind of a little one as they learn how to live in this crazy, loud and wonderful world?  If we could tap into their brains, my guess is that they might have some great pearls of wisdom for the crazy adults in their life!

My sweet husband is a very reflective man.  While I often feel the need to fill empty space with words, he spends time quietly reflecting on situations and events.  I love when we can come together and share our  different reflections with each other.  That is barring I’ve stopped talking long enough to reflect!

I love this picture of my father-in-law.  Recently he was able to take a ride up into the woods with his granddaughter to watch the rest of the clan log fallen trees.  In his 79 years on this earth, he as logged a great many of those.  This picture makes me wonder what is going through his mind as he watches.  What memories is he reflecting on?  His pensive look makes me think his mind is elsewhere in another time and place.

I recently took this picture of myself in the mirror of the old resort truck.  The reflection that I see is one of me doing what I love!  If I reflect too closely then I see my furrowed brow and the large worry wrinkle between my eyes.  There is nothing I can do about that, so I need to take that part of my reflection time and move on, not worrying about something I can’t change.  What I can do is take the positive pieces and run with them!  This photo reflection reminds me of what excites me and keeps me grounded in this crazy world!

Do you take time for reflection?  If so, how?  I am one that if I don’t write it down or take a picture of it then I will forget that I’ve even thought about it!  I love to write and that is how I reflect.  Take time to think about where you’ve been, where you are now and where you want to go.  When you look in the mirror, celebrate the beautiful reflection!