I spent some time with a good friend today and, as we gathered our things to go out for dinner, I heard myself say to her, "I wish I could see myself in the way that you see me." My friend loves me, she thinks the best of me, she always wants me to do well and be all that she believes I can be. It stirred me deeply that she has this view of me; I realized how important it is to me that I know what she thinks of me, even when, especially when I'm so far from sharing her view. It's as if there are two versions of me, the one I carry around each day that's filled with doubt and frustrations, fears and hopelessness - and the other version my friend presents to me. For a moment, her view of me was concrete, real; I felt I could step into the person she sees as easily as stepping into a dress. Somehow I connected the self I feel myself to be and the self she sees and it filled me with elation.
We all need to be seen and acknowledged and sometimes we need to know what others see in us. Friends and lovers, the people who love us, give us a glimpse of our best selves and just that glimpse can flood us with energy, encourage us to reach to be that best self.
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