Eyes, what are they?
Colored glass,
Where reflections come and pass.
Open windows—by them sit
Beauty, Learning, Love, and Wit
—Mary Elizabeth Coleridge—
How we appear in others’ eyes can become an obsession. Do they see me as I see myself? Or do they see the Real Me and is that worse,
or better? Are the eyes of others mirrors, in which I’ll find my own reflection? Or are they windows, through which I can touch the spirits of those I love?
We can never know the real lives of others, but we can trust that they are not so different from our own. The experiences we share are more powerful than those in which we differ; others struggle with the same temptations and surrender to the same destiny as we do. If we esteem ourselves, we wont worry about others opinions. Of course we want to be respected, loved by those we love, accepted as a fellow traveler on life’s journey. But our main concern is our own spiritual growth—and it will be the key to how we are perceived Today, I’ll look within and seek to please myself.