Reflections

It was truly amazing how many times Ven caught his own reflection.

Some would make the argument that Ven was being a tad narcissistic, but it came from a place of judgement. His own mind betraying him every time his eyes caught a mirror in a bathroom or the reflection of a storefront shop. He had spent such a long time hating the person who stared back for no reason other than he existed.

Ven closed his eyes as he wiped away the steam that had collected on the mirror to get a better look at the man facing him. It was almost instinctual at this point to hear the negative thoughts bubbling just at the surface of his mind. The critiques that nobody apart from himself seemed to give like scars etching across the body, engraving themselves in every element he despised about his appearance.

Words of encouragement once lost on the young man tried as best they could to push through, to remind him of the friends that he had, the people who valued who he was. The ones that consistently had his back, that would go out of their way to make sure he was alright and whom expected nothing in return.

Ven sighed as he rested his head on the mirror, trying so hard not to stare back with contempt as he took in a deep breath. A moment of clarity shone through, as if captured in that single breath was the burst of remembrance that was needed to remind him of how far he had come, reminding himself of the hard work that he had accomplished over those many months.

And he found himself gazing back at his reflection, and those voices that usually accompanied him were silenced. There was nothing there to comment on how he looked, nothing to tell him he was stupid for the thoughts that wavered in and out of his head. There was blissful silence as he smiled, his thoughts now occupied with the good fortune in his life.

And with that, his reflection disappeared as he walked out of the bathroom, ready for another day.