Thursday, February 4, 2010

Mirror Images (Flash Fiction-55)

Photo: The lovely and talented, Miss Jessie

I'm looking

in the mirror
for a difference.

Looking for

more than
crow's feet.
More than
nasolabial folds--
those smile lines
on my sagging face--
that I already have.

Kind of like

when I looked
at myself
in the mirror
after losing my
virginity--


Thinking I

SHOULD
look different.

But my

birthday doesn't
show yet .


Friday Flash Fiction 55: tell a story in EXACTLY 55 words. Go see g-man on Friday to give it a try or read more.

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

i want to look in the mirror and see the 6ft skinny beauty that I know I truly am!!

Ronda Laveen said...

Eternally: HA! Me too! But I'm afraid I'll have to push my 5 foot round beauty out of the way and run over her first.

Anonymous said...

I fear my laugh lines are permanent...but then so are my "sorrow lines". Cool 55 :)

Gemel said...

Mirrors, we should get rid of all of them, maybe then we would all be happy because we would have a shock each time we look into one and wonder who is that looking back!

Brian Miller said...

stay forever young ronda!

Candie said...

Powerful Ronda!You're really good at writing those!Have a wonderful day and weekend.

Leah said...

This is so poignant, Ronda! we can all relate.

and I remember looking at myself like that in the mirror, right after losing my virginity! And I did look different...

Marisa Birns said...

You said a lot in 55! It's really hard to do, so good for you... :)

The first time I heard someone say, "nasolabial folds", it came from a doctor who was describing a face lift to dinner guests. So cool that it's used in a creative written piece!

Unknown said...

There is good lines and bad lines. Laugh line to me means happiness. Sadness can be seen in lines too. I think aging right is living right. Being happy and positive. There is worse than the sign of aging. Like being disfigured by a plane crash. This is what i tell myself when i start being judge mental about my appearance. Thanks for following my blog and comments..Come say Hi!!

CiCi said...

Your birthday may not show the outward changes, but what shines through from within shows the ever growing knowledge and compassion.

Dorraine said...

Beautiful, just like you! I keep low lighting in my bathroom and rather like it that way. You don't need it, though. :-D

Baino said...

You're getting very good at this. I avoid mirrors these days. Everything's heading south. Erm I can't remember losing my verginity . . it was a very long time ago.

Ronda Laveen said...

Subby: My lines are permanent too:P

Gemel: That is a great idea! No mirrors!

Brian: I'm working on it!

Candie: ThanX. You have a great weekend too.

Leah: So you remember looking in the mirror too after you lost it? Yeah, I looked for days to see how I was different.

Marisa: The first time I heard nasolabial folds, I had to think twice about which part of the anatomy was being discussed. It was also by a doctor but he was telling a patient how he could take care of that for her with fillers.

Ronda Laveen said...

French chick: Yes, being positive and happy are great age defying treatments. And so many people do have disfigurements that are way beyond normal aging.

TechnoBabe: Very well stated, oh one who has a birthday on day after mine:-)

Dorraine: Oh! Low lighting! How could I forget? I use that technique at work all the time.

Baino: I had to meditate on the virginity thing for a while to remember how I felt. I was a long time ago for me too.

Deanna Schrayer said...

Beautiful work Ronda. It takes a great deal of talent to say so much with so few words, and you have obviously got it.

So many memories brought back reading this - the first time I saw a grey hair, (I was only 24!), the first time I saw a wrinkle, the first time...

JGH said...

My friend keeps telling me I need to spend more on skin care products. It's only prolonging the inevitable!

I have a little mole on my face. Once my daughter pointed to it and said "What's that?" I said "a beauty mark." She said "Is there any beauty coming out of it? "

I'm liking your poems, Ronda!

DUTA said...

The eternal encounter of woman and mirror. Sometimes she likes what she sees, sometimes not. And there comes a time when she stops looking at her reflection, but it's only temporary. Woman and mirror never go separate ways.

Ronda Laveen said...

Deanna: How funny! I just got back from your site! Oh, I remember all those firsts too! This is the third flash 55 I've tried and I'm liking the process. It is hard to do but also fun.

JGH: I don't think expensive skin care products are necessary but I find a good cleanser, toner and moisturizer are very helpful now that I am closer to 60 than 50.

I love your daughter's statem about your mole. My husband has a sense of wonder and humor like that:-)

Ronda Laveen said...

DUTA: You are a wise and humorous woman. I love your statement: "Woman and mirror never go separate ways."

Mrsupole said...

Great job again. I am still looking for the changes, but my brain refuses to see me any different then when I was 20.

Maybe I should turn on some lights when I look in a mirror. Maybe not. Life is better if you can just pretend.

God bless.

I think I am gonna have to give this 55 a try sometime soon. Maybe on Saturday or Sunday, and I will just pretend it is Friday.

G-Man said...

Ronda Laveen...
LOVED your story this week!
You have this stuff down PAT Baby!!
Excellent 55 My Dear...
Crows Feet?
I have Eagles Nests!
Thanks for this fine contribution, and please have a Kick Ass Week-End!...G

Ronda Laveen said...

Sherry: I still see myself as 20 also, well, maybe 30 but still...not as nearly 60. Yoiks! Please...do join us for 55. I truly think you will crack it like a whip, girl. Can you do a 55 Opal Nation series. You would have us eating out of your hand.

G-man: Thank you sir and your Eagle's nests. You have a kick in the ass weekend too. Looks like you'll be quite busy with all those FF55's.

Peter Stone said...

Ah, the joys of aging. My daughter so kindly keeps pointing out my thinning hair and the wrinkles - love the description of crows feet, and reflections while staring at the mirror, looking for changes.

Ronda Laveen said...

Peter: Thanks! What a wonderful daughter you have to keep pointing out your pieces of aging. Keeps us young at heart, yes?

anthonynorth said...

Nicely done. I keep telling myself ageing is an attitude of mind.

Anonymous said...

Beautifully put and poignant. In spite of the "nasolabial folds" (a first for me) I don't mind looking in the mirror anymore. Rather than the age, I see the wisdom. The lines are the poetry of the life we have lived.

Well done Ronda.

I'm up:

Friday Flash 55 ~ Checkmate

Mike said...

We all hate the mirror these days! Even better than the 55 was your response to Eternally Distracted.

Ms Hen's said...

You are an Aquarius like my 14 year old son.. Is today your birthday or soon??

Happy Happy Aquarius Birthday Month..

Betty Ann

Felicitas said...

I like what TechnoBabe had to say: I shows on the inside. You've got to look for the Light shining through!

A wonderful 55 we can all relate to!

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

Inside me is a beautiful young woman, strong and healthy, just waiting to escape.

Chris Wolf said...

We women are so hard on each other sometimes-men don't expect youthful eternal images or attitudes as much, do they?
Thank you btw, for always being so gracious when you visit my blog. I am so glad we met!

Alice Audrey said...

The place I show my age the fastest is in my words.

clean and crazy said...

beautiful 55, there was an article just this week on a disorder in seeing yourself wrong in the mirror. very thought provoking.

Ed & Jeanne said...

Actually...I don't mind looking in the mirror, not that I make a habit of it though. I'm happy I've still got my hair and that for some reason I haven't really started graying much (even though I'll be 49 this summer). As for the aging thing...the changes are slow and subtle to me. It's not until I look back at a photo from my 20s that it hits me...

Reya Mellicker said...

Awesome poem, Ronda. Oh yeah.

I looked in the mirror after I "lost" my virginity, too. I remember thinking, "So THIS is what everyone makes such a fuss about?" I didn't get it then and I don't get it now.

xx

Ronda Laveen said...

AnthonyNorth: What you say is so true. Staying young as we age is an attitude of mind.

Chef Kar: Ahh, "lines are the poetry of life that we have lived." Well stated, my friend.

Otin: The truth is always the funniest! Glad to see you in the Flash 55 this week!

Ms Hen: My birthday was on the 1st of the month. Thank you for the wishes and pass them on to your son as well.

Felicitas: TechnoBabe is one wise and thoughtful woman.

Ronda Laveen said...

Boomer: Sounds like she already has!

Chris Wolf: No, most men aren't as concerned with thier exterior changes the way we are. But then again, they fart in front of each other all the time. But, maybe that's okay too. I am so glad we met too!

Alice: Whoa! What a wise observation!

Clean & Crazy: Yes, I think there is a lot of us who have distorted body images.

VE: Yes, looking at pictures from 20 years ago really shows up the changes of growth (aging). I was looking at old photos a couple of months ago and in some of them, I thought, who are those young people?

Reya: Oh, I am so with you. I still don't get it either. I thought all of the sudden I would look like...I don't know...Tuesday Weld or somone like that.

Dulçe ♥ said...

This one is great. Oh those damn mirrors never lie, but our way of looking through them!
:)

Linda said...

My wrinkles are the map of my life. Great job on this... Peace, Linda

inappropriatesue said...

I always think I look fabulous, but then again I avoid mirrors, LOL. Great 55. Thanks for visiting mine!

Fragrant Liar said...

Yeah, I'm with ED (heh, heh). I wanna see the 6-ft beauty that I know I am inside (cuz I'm 5 feet).

KB said...

Sometimes I walk past a mirror and do a double take - I have to double check that it's still me. Hehe. Nicely done.

Joanna Jenkins said...

You nailed that one perfectly! Great job Ronda. I can totally relate to this.

Have a fun weekend.
jj

Ronda Laveen said...

Dulce: I guess it's okay as long as we just LOOK through those mirrors. Remember what happend when Alice WENT through. Yoiks.

Linda: Somtimes I think I'd like to follow those wrinkles on the map of my face and see where I end up!

Fragrant Liar: I hear ya!

KB: I know, catching myself in the mirror, I sometimes find myself looking for the me that is 20 years younger. The vision of me that is running around naked in my head.

Joanna: Thank you, my friend. You have a great weekend too!

Akelamalu said...

Great 55!

You know God makes your eyesight fail as you get older? So you can't see the wrinkles when you look in the mirror! LOL

Seriously, laughter lines mean you've had a good life - embrace them.

Thanks for dropping by and reading my 55. :)

jabblog said...

Happy Birthday - never fear, it will eventually show!!

Marinela said...

Hmmm Mirrors,really great one :)

Don’t be frightened to be told
http://marinelareka.com/?p=635

SandyCarlson said...

The change is there, but where? And why do we so often see what others do not? Great read.

snowelf said...

Rhonda, I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. Exactly. My mirror is sometimes my best friend or my worst enemy. Must be related to my scale. ;)

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! :)

--snow

Akannie said...

Great 55, Ronda...My first time at your blog...new to the 55's... I used to live rather near you....missing it all the time!

I'll be back!!

Nessa said...

Very good 55. We always expect one brief milestone in time to show and it rarely does.

A Boy and His Toy

Ronda Laveen said...

Akelamalu: You are right, God lets our eyesight fade just enough so we can't see all our aging imperfections. And it is sometimes helpful that the memory fades a bit too!

Jabblog: I'm sure you're right...my birthday will eventually show itself.

Marinela: Thanks! And I won't be frightened.

Sandy: Self-perception is a strange thing, isn't it?

Snowelf: Now that you mention it, it makes sense the that the mirror and the scale could be cousins!

Akannie: You stated that you lived near me once upon a time, but you didn't say where. Now I'm curious.

Nessa: Those milestones are sneaky little buggers.

Dave King said...

That's really good. I enjoyed the mystery turning to humour.

Shadow said...

oh, cool. i do this every time i have a birthday.... thank you for your visit!

p160 said...

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew (his) sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, "Do no harm to yourself; we are all here."

29 He asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.

30 Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved."

32 So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.

33 He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. (Acts 16: 27 – 33)

Tortoise said...

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

SOLA FIDES... The Protestant Revolt had many causes including state politics. Also the worldly lifestyle of certain popes, bishops and priests of that time helped to fuel the fire.

However, the doctrine,
Justification by Faith Alone, was the spark.

This heresy exaggerates the truth concerning salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

Even though some members of the Church at that time, such as Tetzel and Erasmus, may not have fully understood the doctrine of salvation, this does not excuse this heresy.

It claims that Christians are saved by faith alone. As biblical support, St. Paul is usually cited: "For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law." [Romans 3:28]

Now this verse does not contain the word "alone." Martin Luther actually added "alone" to this verse in his Bibles in order to promote this new doctrine.

According to the RSV and NAB Bible translations, the phrase, "by faith alone", only occurs once in the Bible, and that verse condemns this doctrine: "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." [James 2:24]

The other error is interpreting the "works of law" in Romans 3:28 as all good works.

From the context, it is obvious that St. Paul is referring to the Law of Moses, and the "works of law" are circumcision, eating kosher and other Jewish practices (Acts 15:1-21).

St. Paul writes elsewhere in the Bible: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love." [Galatians 5:6] St.

Paul’s understanding of faith, as expressed in the Bible, includes more than a confident trust in God, but also obedience to God (Romans 1:5).

Also according to Catholic understanding, good works are not what I do but what God does through me by grace (Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 15:10; Rom 2:7), so there is no reason to boast (Eph. 2:9).

Even though Martin Luther still understood salvation in terms of grace, some later Christians did not.

With the loss of focus on grace, this heresy eventually led to a "faith-alone" version of Pelagianism.

This is the reason that some (not all) Protestants reject some or all of the Sacraments, sometimes even Baptism (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3; 1 Peter 3:21

mg159 said...

PSALM 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Anonymous said...

LIVING WATER

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

8 His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11 (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water?

12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?"

13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;

14 but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."


15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."
(John 4: 7 – 15)

p160 said...

Free Will and Belief or Genetic Predeterminism

As our knowledge of humanity grows through the human genome project, it is increasingly recognized that there may be some genetically verifiable influence on much of our thinking and behavior – perhaps more than might have been popularly realized.

Scientists are finding a genetic connection for example to who votes and who does not.

This information was recently addressed in a 27 May 2008 NY Times editorial, “It’s the Genes, Stupid” which concludes with the words:

Read More...

Ronda Laveen said...

Dave: Thanks, I learn a lot from you.

Shadow: All my pleasure.

Religious Spammer: Thanks, I think...not sure if you're trying to bless me or save me.

Anonymous said...

Ronda Laveen said...
Religious Spammer: Thanks, I think...not sure if you're trying to bless me or save me.

"Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." [John 4:14)