Seeing

Everyone knows that saying ... do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Just recently I have thought that it would also be a good idea to do unto ourselves as we would have others do onto us. Or something like that. In reality, my thought centered more about "seeing" ourselves as others see us.

It's always been a wish of mine. To be able to see "me" as the world sees me, and not as I see me. I fear that would not be a good thing should I show up on the red carpet and be questioned by Tim Gunn about who I am "wearing" (that would be ... um George by Walmart or Mossimo by Target or maybe "who knows, I got it at the thrift store and there isn't a label.").

In any case, I have felt this secret desire to be a little silly and self-centered.

So what started me on writing this post. A man told me I looked great. And for the first time in a long time I realized I was being SEEN. Ever since my cancer diagnosis I have felt unseen. And while I am still a woman who works at looking good, picking out clothes that make me feel good about myself, fixing my hair and wearing makeup, I must say that for a long time now I have not seen myself as sexy. And on this day, at that moment when that young man told me I looked great, I was actually taken aback because I was being seen in a way that I have become unaccustomed to being seen ... at least by me.

Then I heard a story about some scientists who have created a mirror that doesn't reflect images in the reverse, but as they really are. So I am not the only one with this wish to be seen as other see me. I think we all would like to see ourselves as others do.

So now I don't feel so silly afterall.