There are very few times where I ever look around me in my surroundings. Actually, that may be somewhat untrue. In the moment of wherever I am, I usually attempt to be completely present (mind, body and soul) but this is not always the case. Usually, it is my mind that I tend to lose track of as I may be standing at a coffee shop but it is opening the drawers of thousands of other places. The problem I struggle with daily tends to be "being present" rather than "stuck in the future."

Nevertheless, I was meeting two friends for coffee the other day-which I never have time to do during the school year-and I was struck by the most beautiful tiny picture frame of two women. The women were older, their skin was wrinkly and they were most certainly in a different part of the world (though I'm not quite sure exactly where.) Both of these women had smiles that spread naturally from their left ear to their right ear. What struck me most was their gaze of pure delight for happiness is best told with the eyes, which tend to become radiant with light when looking at someone very special. One woman was very tall and the other was quite tiny. Below their sandals was a quote that read, "The best mirror in life is an old friend."

I had to think about this one for a bit. Very rarely am I able to look at a quote and apply to the moment I am in, but yesterday was a different story. I looked at these two women and dreamed of the lives they had lived separately but also very clearly together (connected by heart.) Then, I thought about my own current situation of sitting in a coffee shop with those who I consider to be some of my oldest friends and our travels (sometimes more separate than together.) This quote is just simply magic on two levels. You aren't looking at a mirror to see yourself when you are with your oldest friends. That mirror turns so you can thoughtfully see their reflections. Your mind isn't able to wander into YOUR future plans because shining back, very sharply, is the reflection of your old friends, the stories they are telling you in this moment, the information they are sharing with you in this moment and then a larger realization. Empathy. True empathy. This quote is not telling us to copy our friend, to "become" our old friend or "imitate" their very being. I see the mirror as more of a shift towards another but then this moment where, if you are listening intently and with care, perhaps part of their very soul is being reflected back into your soul. Perhaps their insight into the world is sending a reflection into your heart, shifting your mindset or understanding better what it is this mirror image holds. 

How interesting that this quote uses the word "old" almost as a simple reminder that friendships, good friendships, well-intended friendships sometimes take years to truly build a reflection, a space for deep talking, interest and comfort. May you think of your old friend with new eyes. For what may appear old can become something new. What a gift that is.