Deep, Dark, Truthful Mirror #1

It was the beginning of October, last year. We were on our way back from visiting family in Connecticut, and had decided to make our return journey into a mini-roadtrip through Salem, Massachusetts.

We didn’t spend much time in town – enough to get a sense for the unsettling, bizarre combination of witchcraft and tourist kitsch on display. We did wander a few gift shops, though. In one of the shops, under a sign advertising the “original Salem Kitchen Witch,” a small rectangular mirror caught my eye. Engraved at the bottom of the mirror were the words “You need a fresh start.”

I knelt down and looked at my reflection and the words underneath. I thought of my dread at the hour-long commute and soul-numbing job I’d have to endure the next day. I thought of how tired I was of being overweight and unfit. I thought of the strange desire that compelled me to get up early and use the workout room at the hotel where we’d been staying.

I read the words again and thought, “you have no idea.”