The Mirror

It was pouring outside. The sky, painted in a pitch-dark canvas streaked with jagged flashes of white lightning, cast a dramatic backdrop to the stillness that had settled inside. A woman sat quietly by her window, her face serene yet distant, eyes fixed on the storm unravelling beyond the glass. The rain cascaded heavily, its droplets blurring the view, creating a smoky, almost frosty illusion of the world outside.

Yet amidst the chaos of wind and water, the sound of the rain brought an unexpected calmness, an unspoken dialogue between nature and the soul. It was as though, in that very moment, the world outside moved in frenzy while her inner world stood still, wrapped in an almost meditative peace.

Her gaze shifted suddenly toward the ground below. Puddles had begun to overflow with murky water, creating swirling pools of brown. And then without warning a splash broke the quiet rhythm of the rain.

Then came a sound louder and more profound than the rain: the unfiltered, joyous laughter of the child. It filled the space with warmth, a sound so pure it cut through the grey of the storm. It was not just the sound of happiness it was freedom, unbothered existence, and unshackled spirit. A little girl, soaked and carefree, jumped into the puddles, sending muddy water flying with every joyous jump. The higher she jumped, the more her laughter echoed through the air.

A gentle smile formed on the woman’s face. For a fleeting second, the stillness she had held onto began to melt. That little girl so full of life, laughter, and spontaneity reminded her of someone she once knew.

There was a time when her feet were small, yet her dreams were impossibly big. She looked at the world with wide, curious eyes full of hope, unshaken by fear. Failure was never a thought, and the future wasn’t a worry. She wasn’t concerned about what came next, because she was fully present in the moment.

She missed the girl she had been the one who lived freely, laughed loudly, and embraced the world without hesitation. In the giggles of that child, she saw the echo of her own youth, her lost innocence, her fearless self. 

That little girl's entire existence was rooted in now. She didn’t overthink. She didn’t hold back. Her laughter was genuine, her presence unapologetically whole. Every moment was lived completely, with a kind of purity that life rarely lets us keep.

She was not asking for love or care . Her innocence was  enough to impress anyone even the women who was wanting to smile..  as she was so magnetic which made her  enough to soften hearts and draw kindness, even from strangers. Her openness, her trust in the world, made the women feel safe, seen, and inspired. She was a light, simply by being herself.

But time passed, and with it came change.

Slowly, her carefree spirit gave way to self-awareness. Life taught her to be cautious, to plan, to protect herself. The joy that once came so naturally began to feel earned rather than given. That spontaneous laughter became quieter, more reserved. The dreams once pursued without fear were now weighed down by expectations and responsibilities.

She didn’t realize when that version of herself began to fade it happened gradually. Not in one defining moment, but in a series of small ones that shaped her into someone more careful, more contained. She loved without needing reassurance. She existed without needing to prove her worth. And she dreamed without fearing the fall.

And suddenly, she realized her gaze had shifted from the little girl outside to the woman reflected in the glass. 

Because she hasn’t disappeared. She was  simply waiting to feel the same way she used to 

Sometimes, life offers quiet moments, glimpses, that remind us of how far we’ve came. Not always in miles or milestones, but in the shifts within. That rainy afternoon wasn’t just a storm it was a mirror. And in it, she saw both the woman she had become and the child she had once been.