Twinsight 3 of 50: Glance in the Mirror Before You Leave the House

A few years ago, I pulled my black Chico dress over my head and dashed off to the office extra early because I was speaking at a roundtable discussion that morning. I made a quick stop in the restroom. On the way out, I glanced at my profile in the full-length mirror and then reversed my steps to take another look. I confirmed my initial suspicion. I had my dress on inside out.

Then a couple of weeks ago, I got together with a new friend, Pam, at Caribou Coffee. I walked back to the table after picking up my tea and she politely said, "I think your sweater is on inside out." Sure enough.

I've never been someone who spends much time looking in the mirror at my outward appearance (obviously). My parents never spent much time there so it wasn't modeled for me. (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) I venture that I get ready faster in the morning than any woman you know. I might be willing to take an extra minute or two now that I'm over 50. But those of you over 50 tell me. Will mirror time be even less of a draw to me now?

I do, however, place a high value on reflecting on what's inside before I leave the house. Otherwise, I'm as much of a mess on the inside as I can be on the outside! Most mornings I spend time preparing for the day--reading scripture, and journaling and praying about things on my mind. One morning a week, I actually have this reflection time with a group of friends. This time grounds me in my convictions and reminds me that I can confidently go into my day because God goes before me and will guide my words and actions, if I let Him. And for me, it's something that I need to do daily or my life gets out of balance.

Our dog, Pabby, has his quiet time with me. :) He sits on his perch (our spiral staircase) with one eye on his kingdom of squirrels, chipmunks and other critters. His other eye is on me because what comes next is usually our slo-mo running time. (He's 49 in people years so we're perfectly paced.) He lives for when we can stretch our legs in the fresh air and he motivates me to get out there.

So the next time you see me and I'm not as put together as you think I should be, remember that I probably sacrificed the outside for the inside. And you have permission to point out anything that I'm wearing inside out!

Stay tuned for next week's Twinsight: Get Over It.