Authenticity

Occasionally, I free write to "get it all out there." This may not be the most well-written post but it's genuine:

Authentic. The word reverberates, crashes into my shielded existence, this story that I portray as me. Authenticity sets you apart from the masked ones and yet transforms you into a reflection of what they all seem to know is their very self.

Authenticity is scary; it's sometimes painful. Open me up, make me a the still stream reflecting tree tops and sky. Break me apart, and let the pain and suffering, joy and passion pour out in puddles around our feet until someone whispers a knowing, 'yes.' Write what you know, brave soul.Explore your inner-world and draw it out into words. Coax it from hiding and fear into the glaring sun. Writers cannot be fearful creatures. We must learn to separate our true selves from the storyline so we can expose depths without trepidation.

The real truth is in the transformative possibilities of those experiences, how they change us and those around us, how they make us grow or fall. The story ebbs, only feeling endures...what surrounds us, overwhelms us, creates us. We are left standing, one outstretched arm in grasping, another withdrawn, door ajar, insides gapingly exposed. Finally, there is no difference in craving or aversion, only love remains, thrusting us forward into the arms of Other, into heart of Same.

Art
Creativity
Spirit
Love
Water
Compassion
Laughter
Trees
Silence
Pain
Thank you
Stillness
Breath
Joy
Path
Yes.