A couple of days ago, I told my dog to get out of the way. What I actually said was, “Get up and get out of my way. I can’t even walk when you’re around.”

This is a dog I adore. She is a member of my family. I can’t imagine being mean or hateful to her.

When I ran the water to brush my teeth that same night, I looked up into the bathroom mirror with some hesitation. What I was going to see wasn’t the me I expected to be.

Mirrors aren’t always nice to us. When we’re tired, or hurried, or mad, or hurt, or far from glad about something for the moment, a reflective surface gives us back a grim picture of who we are as individuals.

In our cloudy times, we sometimes take the mirror’s image at face value. We may begin to define ourselves by distortions that don’t mean as much as we think they do. After all, everyday drama enters all our lives in some way – through calendars to keep up with, jobs to do, people to talk to, people who talk at us, hopes for some rest and time to ourselves on down the road.

Mirrors tell just part of a story. They’re designed to reflect the front or the back, or one side of whatever stands before them. The other side of the story may be . . . well, a whole different story.

Because everybody catches a glimpse of themselves in some way every day, here are thoughts we may want to keep in mind when we’re facing our own reflections:

• This face has a lot of different looks that show up as expressions of what I’m feeling.
• Some of them may surprise me.
• All the people I face every day look to me in different ways.
• With them, I need to be strong. For them, I need to be strong enough to never put on a face that doesn’t fit me.

Here’s what I can keep in sight:

• I may have a long way to go with whatever I’m facing.
• If a path opens up that promises a quick or easy route, I’ll make a choice that’s the right way for me – step by step.
• I look forward better than I look back.
• Let me move in the best direction with a clear reflection.

The dog’s still begging for my attention. But I think I managed to set some boundaries with her. At least that’s what it felt like when she allowed me the privilege of taking her for a long walk down the road near the home we happily share.