I knew a girl who was afraid of her own reflection.

She was kind and smart and funny

And incredibly beautiful

People told her just how amazing she was, but her ears were filled with static

She could appreciate the little things in life

Like the first rain of fall

The look in her sister's eyes when their song played

The feeling when she gave someone a gift

But she was never able to look at herself with the same loving eyes.

She kept searching for something to love about herself

Until one day she found the stage

For three hours a day, she was able to be someone else

Someone who didn't have to worry about her parent's fights

Someone who had love in her life

Someone who loved herself

The rush she felt onstage

The cheers and whistles fed her ego but left her drained

She wanted more…

She started hating the performances

Hating how the person she pretended to be got more affection than her

So she left

She finally took the sheet off of her mirror and studied herself

She felt like crying 

She felt like running 

She wanted to hide 

But she stayed and saw herself

Truly 

For the first time in years

She stopped hating the person she was and looked to the person she could be

She changed and she moved like water

Some say she ran from what hurt her

But she just moved on

She moved on.

The things she hated about herself were left behind

She found herself in the rain

In her sister's eyes

In the happy emotions

She realized that things were never as bad as she thought

And she was right

I’m glad she changed her mind

Because things are great now

And I'm so glad that I stayed long enough to realize it