Mirror

You look at her with pity. You analyze her decisions with a magnifying glass and find fault in them all. You wrestle between the desire to control her and let her fly free. How many times will she hurt herself? How many times must you help her pick up the pieces? You love her, but you resent her. You are disappointed in the life she calls her own. As you cry for her, an image emerges from the fog. She is walking. You watch as she walks down a long, lonely hallway. There are no doors, no windows...nothing but the sound of her feet against the stone. As she descends it is apparent that she is seeing the scenes of her life played out like a picture show in the shadows before her. She knows that answers lie ahead. Why is she this way? Where did she go wrong? You wring your hands with anticipation, for you too want the rationale. Slowly she comes to the end of the hallway and she stares into the mirror on the wall. You begin to sigh as you assume that the solution is that her answers can only be found within herself. But your breath is halted. She pulls a cord, and the curtain in front of you falls. You realize you stand with her face to face. The reflection she sees in the mirror is not her own...it's yours. The answer is that it was your weakness, your flaws, your fault, your face. She is freed from the burden of your judgment. She is validated.