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A young woman looked into a mirror.  She was in her early twenties, and judged her appearance daily.  Her hair was too curly.  She wasn’t as skinny as she wanted to be.  She looked upon herself with harsh eyes as she fussed over her hair and makeup in an attempt to make herself more beautiful.  One night, after another session of critical judgement, she went to bed and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, she woke up, and began her day as usual.  She went into the kitchen to grab the low-fat cereal out of the cupboard.  As she raised her arm for the cupboard she glanced at her skin, which had sagged slightly.  In a panic, she ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.  She looked as if she had aged twenty years over night.  She looked around her, and noticed that she had not been the only one aging, her home had aged as well.  The woman ran into the kitchen in a panic and looked at the calendar to reveal twenty years had passed.  

She stood there stunned, trying to make sense of this. How could twenty years have passed by so fast?  She paced the room for about an hour before she slowly walked back into the bathroom.  She switched on the light, and hesitantly, raised her head to look at herself once more.  In the mirror was a woman in her forties.  Her face had fine lines, and her hair wasn’t as buoyant as it used to be.  She looked at this image with dissatisfaction, then went about her day.

She went to work like she always had. The only thing that seemed to have changed was the age of her coworkers.  It took her a good month to get used to her new life.  

While rummaging through her house she found an old photo of herself from her twenties, and thought to herself “wow. I was actually kind of pretty.”  She stared at the photograph, reminiscing of those days.  She set the photograph down, and went on with her day. 

She had just finished cleaning the house, and suddenly the phone rang; it was her parents.  She chatted with her Mom for a while, and then made up a quick excuse to get off the phone.  She loved her Mom, but surely, they could chat some other time.  She just wanted to relax in peace and watch TV.  So, that is what she did.  

A few days later her parents called her again, and again she made up an excuse to limit the length of the phone call.  She had so many things she wanted to do – and chatting on the phone for hours wasn’t one of them.  After she finished her shows, she cleaned up, and went to bed.

The next morning she woke up and went to use the bathroom.  She turned on the light and jumped. She looked into the mirror and a woman in her sixties looked back at her.  No! she thought. This can’t be!

Again, she ran into the kitchen to look at her calendar, and again, twenty years had gone by.  She walked back into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror once more.  She saw wrinkles everywhere, and uneven skin tone.  How was this happening? She wondered.  

After coming to terms with her new change, she went to work.  When she arrived, she looked around, and recognized very few people.  “Oh hi!” said a voice from behind her.  “We haven’t seen you since your retirement party – I think it has been a good five years!”

Retired? She thought.  She smiled at the person, and left suddenly to go home.  Time really had flown by, she thought.  When she got home she sat down to watch TV - and that is what she did with her days.  She looked outside at the beautiful days, but instead spent her time watching TV indoors.
  
She grew lonely and wondered if her parents would call.  She brought her phone by her and sat next to it – just in case they called her.  A month went by with no calls.  She decided to give her parents a call.  She dialed the number and listened to the phone ring.  A young man picked up the phone and said “Hello?”

“Hi,” she said, not recognizing the voice.

“This is James, can I help you with something?”

“I think I have the wrong number – I was trying to reach my parents.” She said.

The young man went on to describe how him and his wife had purchased the house twelve years ago, after an estate sale.  She slammed down the phone in a panic.  She tried calling her aunt and again, she had the “wrong number.” 
 
She raced into the kitchen to find her book of phone numbers, and saw a dusty warped card sitting atop her fridge.  She lifted it down to look at it.  It was a sympathy card.  She opened the card and tears welled up in her eyes as she read it.  Her parents had passed away.  She sat on the floor and sobbed, wishing she would have spent more time with them when she had a chance.

The days went by, and she continued her routine of TV watching.  The weather was beautiful, but she didn’t feel like going outside.  I can do that any day, she thought.

That night she went to bed, and fell asleep.

Bright sunlight beamed through the window and woke her.  She started to get out of bed but had a little trouble getting up.  She set her hand on her side table, and used it to help her stand up.  Once upright, she walked into the bathroom.  She turned on the light to reveal an eighty year old woman staring back at her.  She stood there slightly out of breath, and with little caring about this new change, walked into the living room.  

She sat down on the sofa and maneuvered herself so that the springs were not poking her.  She turned on the TV and watched a show.  She was tired of many things, and was tired of watching TV.  I should go for a walk, she thought to herself.  

The sun was bright and cheery outside, it was a truly beautiful day.  She started to get up but had trouble.  She reached to each side of her to find something to help her up.  She finally scooted over to the side of the sofa next to the side table, and used it to help her get up.
  
The woman stood there slightly out of breath.  She began walking toward the door, but her knees hurt.  She made it to the door, and out onto the first step.  It was a glorious day, but sadly, she was too sore and tired to enjoy it.
  
She thought to herself about all the sunny days she stayed inside watching TV shows.  Her heart sank as she walked back into the house and closed the door.  She was afraid to sit on the couch again for she had so much trouble getting up last time.  She stood in the middle of the living room and cried.

Why didn’t I go outside and enjoy it while I still could?

Why hadn’t I spent more time with my family while they were still here?

Why did I judge myself so harshly when in all truth, I was beautiful?

She walked back into her bedroom and lay down.  Tears crept down her face as she thought about her past, and how she wished she could do it all over again.  She slowly cried herself into a deep sleep.  

The next morning, she woke up.  Half asleep, she wandered into the bathroom, and turned on the light. She looked into the mirror, and there standing in front of her, was a beautiful young woman with her whole life ahead of her.  She had a new appreciation for her health, a new love for family, and a new love for herself.