Is it me or is there something so luxurious about gold? The color is eye-catching. Beautiful and shiny. The process of using intense heat to melt gold and forge it into fine jewelry is both a craft and an art.

It reminds me of what I stand for.

Not necessarily in terms of beauty but in terms of being a lady, woman, and girl who life takes through the highest temperatures only to emerge beautiful, luminous and resilient.

I’ve always had a soft spot for gold. So, when I decided to put my house in order, I knew for sure that there must be a gold hue somewhere in my space.

I remember when I got my mirror. I knew exactly what I wanted. I was so certain that an arc shaped mirror with a golden rim was the missing piece that’d transform my bedroom from ordinary to spectacular. And boy! Was I right! It was the perfect aesthetic for my room.

Every morning, I wake up thankful. I look at the beautiful mirror and the soul staring back at it.

My mirror shows my reflections. It has seen all of me. It has seen my joy, grief, strength and vulnerability. It reminds me of who I am in all seasons.

But one day, my mirror made me afraid. I was scared because for a moment, I forgot who I was or rather I think I forgot who I was. It happened so unexpectedly. It was dark. So dark that I had my phone’s flashlight on. As I stood up, I looked into the mirror as I normally would. And then I saw a big dark figure fill the entire wall of my room.

I panicked for a moment. I was afraid until I realized: it was my shadow.

But why did it frighten me? It took a moment, and it struck me. My mirror didn’t make me afraid.

It was I who made myself afraid.

For so long, I had gotten used to seeing my reflection in daylight and when there’s light, that I forgot shadow comes with the absence of it.

But shadow doesn’t mean darkness. Its light trapped in stillness. It is a natural phenomenon, an inherent part of who I am.

Sometimes, shadows come with perceived darkness, yet this darkness doesn’t mean the absence of light.

We only tend to forget how shadows have their place and time.

From that day on, I stay without fear when I see my shadow because I know it exists for a reason. It is there to teach me something.

We all have shadows.

And I choose to stay with my friends and loved ones even when I see their darkest shadow no matter how big it gets because I know it’s natural.

It doesn’t mean darkness.

It’s light that has nowhere to go.

And I have my own shadow too, just like I have my own light.

The light, the shadow and the woman who holds them both, all reflect in my mirror.