Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I've been thinking lately...who me? Couldn't be.  Then who?  Yes, you.  No, me.  If you are wondering if I have lost my marbles, no, I haven't.  I am just tired, a bit exhausted and rummy.  I went out last night and didn't stay up that late really, I think I was in bed by 11 p.m., but I have a sick baby and she was up half the night, or so it seemed, and you'll have to forgive me if my thoughts aren't exactly coherent.  I'll do my best. 
My thinking...I wish we could see ourselves more purely.  I think we all have these interesting distorted lenses we see ourselves through.  If we are lucky, we get a glimpse of the real deal, who we are at our core, when we are taken out of our comfort zone or when we are completely embraced by unconditional love. For some, this happens more often than not.  The rest of the time, I think we see ourselves as labels..I am a mom, I am an artist, I am good at this, I am not good at that.  I talk too much.  I am the junk I ate today.  I am a bad driver.  I am a good driver.  I am impatient.  Anyone relate to this?  Why don't we ever just think, "I am."  We label ourselves all the time.  We label ourselves as who we want to be seen as, and we label ourselves as who we have been taught to think we are, too. 
I think it is safe to say that we often have a hard time seeing ourselves as others see us.  I know when I hear people describe me, (which I love to, who doesn't like to hear people talk about them, unless it is bad or mean, of course) I am sitting back thinking, really?  Is that what they see?  It fascinates me.  It isn't necessarily that I don't think I am who others describe me to be, its just that it isn't what I see when I look in the mirror.  I am sure I am my worst critic.  I judge myself harshly at times and can be very critical of myself when I do something I wish I hadn't or say something I wish I didn't.  How often do we get to stand outside ourselves and watch our interactions with others, to see ourselves at our best? 
I watch my children look at themselves in the mirror and they are so enthralled.  They smile so beautifully when they see their own face.  Ruby can't get enough of herself.  She eagerly runs to the mirror in the mornings to see how good she looks and then models her outfit for herself.  It's a kick to watch.  I think she is most interesting to herself to look at.  Willis looks at himself and tells us how strong he is or how brave he is.  Elsie's whole body gets excited when she sees herself and she smiles so big.  Why do we stop being so in love with our reflection?  When do we stop seeing beyond the surface when we look in the mirror?
The function I went to last night was held in a room that had mirrors all over the walls.  There were enough people and artwork around the room, that I didn't ever really see myself.  I heard someone say at some point that they kept catching a glimpse of themself in the mirror and that was when I noticed the walls were covered with them.  The only time I looked at myself in the mirror was in the bathroom, to check myself out, was my hair messy or flat, did I look tired?  I didn't really See myself.  Why is it so hard to see our best self when we look in the mirror?
Next time I look, I'm going to say...Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?  You are!