This poem came to me this morning as I reflected on a special book I started reading last night. 'FEARLESS' by Jelena Dokic is offering me an opportunity for self-reflection and a reminder that life is what we make it. I cannot wait to review this book once completed, another stellar publication by one of my true inspirations and hero to many, Jelena Dokic.
Reflections
by Crystal Leonardi
When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
A reflection of you or who others want you to be?
It can be hard to see past the wrinkles, age spots and fatigue,
But if our mindset could shift, beauty, wisdom, and life is what we’d see.
Society encourages us to be perpetually critical of ourselves,
Rarely allowing positive thoughts, leaving self-love on the shelves.
The freedom to change our appearance weighs greatly on our self-worth,
Social media the new benchmark we rate from as young as birth.
In a world where AI is becoming the norm,
it’s sad we feel the need to aesthetically reform.
To live with inadequacy and never feel satisfied,
placing ourselves on a platform, a very slippery slide.
To feel love for ourselves like we do for others,
Could be life's greatest achievement, a lesson from our mothers.
I have to admit, I still catch myself often,
Feeling doubtful of my worth, my confidence prepared to soften.
Because of one person’s opinion of who I should be,
Forgetting who I am and the direction I want my life to see.
Listening to negative feedback, doubters and critics has made me realise,
That self-loathing behaviour could be the perfect recipe for our demise.
So the question we need to ask ourselves,
Is who do we want to see?
A reflection of ourselves,
Or who others want us to be?
The many faces of 'me.' The good, the bored, and the sad. Life isn't always roses. Enjoy life for what it is, which is not perfect. Celebrate the little wins and learn from the adversity that inevitably comes. We are what we manifest, and life is what we make it.
Crystal Leonardi, Bowerbird Publishing
Click here to view my publications www.crystalleonardi.com/bookshop