So, I took a long look in the mirror.

It's safe to say I didn't like what I saw.

A girl wearing a mask.

The mask was beautiful, decked in pearls and heart sequins and positivity

But the thing is, just because you put on a mask, it doesn't make what's underneath go away.

Under that mask lived self-doubt. A girl struggling to match up to the high standards that she insisted on setting herself. A heart that had been given away and abused and returned feeling more cracked and worn every time. Sadness that swam in the depths of her baby-blues and hid in the corners of her trembling lips. A lack of confidence that she thought she could cover up by being overly bubbly.

She surrounded herself with people who liked the mask, who fell for the charade.

But this girl didn't know how blessed she truly was because all the while she was applying layer after layer of her fake positivity, there were real people in her corner.

People who saw the mask for what it was.

And they spoke words to her that made her mascara run

She took the mask off to make sure she didn't get makeup on it, to wipe away any visible weakness.

But as she stood in front of the mirror, dabbing her face, she saw her faults and her short-comings, and something washed over her.

Anger, shock.

Who the hell was she to not love everything about her?

She was alive and breathing, and this negativity was weighing down her soul when all she wanted was to be happy.

Her mask, her prized possession, crumbled in her hands and its dust fell through her fingers.

She watched in wonder and love as the words that her people spoke to her floated through her head and reflected in her eyes, reflected in her mirror.

I took a long look in the mirror.

And I loved what I saw.

A girl recognizing her worth. A real smile manifesting in her eyes and her heart and on her lips. A girl who loved everything and meant it. A girl who loved herself.

I still have days where I look in the mirror and see spots of doubt and negativity.

But now, I don't wear a mask to cover them.

I look at them, and I thank them for giving me the opportunity to grow.

And I grow.