The Mirror Lake

A still lake reflected not what a person was, but who they could be if they embraced truth. A warrior saw himself as a healer. A beggar saw himself as a poet. A lonely woman saw herself surrounded by loved ones. Terrified of hope, she avoided the lake until one night curiosity won. Her reflection smiled at her — confident, whole. She cried, realizing she had believed too little, not too much. She returned home ready to become the woman the water had shown her.