Michele Lee

I knew what I wanted to take a picture of from the moment I saw this week’s theme. Reflective brings to mind mirrors and a state of thinking. Mirror bring to mind a story I read that perfectly encapsulates my idea of reflection. But first, my picture.

And now the story. In the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett there’s a character that I adore named Granny Weatherwax, who is the quintessential old wise crone/witch. She does astounding things all the time, most amazing of which is giving people exactly what they think they need to preserve their happiness, health and lifestyle. Logic goes a little funny around Granny Weatherwaxc, mostly because it finds her rather intimidating.

Anyway, in one book Granny faces down a very powerful witch, who amplifies her powers through mirrors. After the final showdown they both get trapped in a mirror world filled with mirrors. A gate keeper of sorts tells them both that when they find their true self they will be set free. The other witch runs off to find the mirror which contains her true self. Granny Weatherwax simply points down at her chest and says “This one’s real.” (or something similar, it’s been a while).

This so captures the idea of reflection to me, that reflections are powerful tools, but they aren’t the real us.

The photo captures this concept for me because the mirrors show twisted reflections (somehow I didn’t end up reflected in them either, which is amusing) and because they are surrounded by such glitz and glamor. Like I’ve been feeling lately, like I have to put forth this image of glam and perfection, or at least entertainment, but it’s not real. It’s barely even a small slice of my life that people even want to see. What they really want is the (to continue the metaphor, the mirrors are from a merry-go-round) ride and to lose their ownselves in it for just a few moments.

I think as a writer it’s easy to forget that the reflection is not really us and that the people around us, all of them, cannot help but to impress their own needs, emotions, experiences and fantasies on us. It’s very hard to hold onto your individualism in family life, and in life as a public artist (or a public person period).It’s very easy to try to live up to everyone else’s expectations and sacrifice your own, or to dwell too much on that moment of ride, or fantasy that you forget what the core of life really is.