Step Up on Second Writers' Anthology

Man in the Mirror
By Alan Evans

My father grew up in Middlesex, England. He would often say in a tone of exasperation, “These bloody Americans. They’re always looking around and about themselves for what they can only find inside themselves, chasing after the next shiny thing that comes along, with no more presence of mind than a dog chasing a Frisbee.”

I used to be one of those Americans. For most of my life, I looked for comfort and answers in all the wrong places—outside of myself.

When I heard Michael Jackson’s song, Man in the Mirror and everything changed for me. I heard my father’s sentiment through new ears. The urge to look within became my primary motivation for living. As I took a more oceanic view of my existence—seeing I was a component of infinity—I reflected onto my world, enfolding it with love where before there had only been fear.

I saw that ‘the man in the mirror’ was indeed the mirror itself. I began reflecting to others what I saw, experienced, and learned. I shared how I survived mental illness and addiction, and I helped others find new options to risky behavior. As the mirror, I feel I’ve become an educator who does not so much put knowledge into a student, as I do bring it out. As I bring happiness, hope, and trust to others in myriad ways, large and small, I also bring these feelings to myself. I spend much of my days riding on a wave of joy that I have reflected to others.

How exactly this works, I do not understand, nor do I wish to. My father used to say something that applies perfectly: “If you take out the mystery, you take out the magic.”

I hope you find the magic that’s awaiting you!

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