"The
majority of what you think you know about me is nothing more than what I allow
you to know about me”
How honest are we really? How authentic do
we allow ourselves to be?
A couple weeks ago, I had a day off and
spent it at home. I wore my girly boxer shorts, a little tank-top, had
my hair looking like a mini bomb had exploded in it, all the while postponing a
long overdue shower (oops); a look that only “the hubby”, my kids and a handful
of extremely close friends and family are preview to. Dishes overflowed
in the sink, and a few dust bunnies were floating freely but I was being
proactive writing blogs on my dining table. “The hubby” was in our bedroom on a
phone call and my son was in his room… That’s when it happened…..
Looking outside the window, I saw a car attempting
to park in my driveway and I immediately went into a panic. I jumped up, ran
into my bedroom and asked “the hubby” if he was expecting anyone and very
nonchalantly he answered, “Yes, one of my “brothers” was stopping by.”
“Stopping by??? How in the world did you NOT
tell me??? Look at me!” I was freaking out, trying to find something to wear,
while trying to tame the hair as I knew the door bell was about to chant any
second… “The hubby” stood, stared at my frantic self and blurted out “My bad”…and
that’s when I seriously contemplated murder!
His “brother” came in and I was all smiles.
I greeted him, and although internally I was boiling, externally I had managed to
make my appearance up to par… Even though I’ve known his “brother” for over 15
years, and didn’t care one bit to impress him, I still didn’t feel comfortable with
the idea of him seeing me as I was, instead of how I wanted him to see me. This
was not so much in the name of vanity but more so of my privacy.
We like to say to friends and family
members that our door is open to them any time they see fit, with no notice,
but do we always mean it? In making that statement or invite, doesn’t it mean that
we don’t care what our appearance is at any given time? Are we always ready to
grin it and bear it? I don’t think so; while “all that glitters ain’t gold”,
all gold is not meant to be flaunted at all time!
When I want to be lazy, look dishevelled,
scruffy and uncombed, it doesn’t mean that I’m okay with “you” seeing me like
that…
Home is our sanctuary, where we relax into being
ourselves, play with our inner child, paint the walls green and pink, dig in
the dirt, grow something, love somebody else, love ourselves even more, snuggle
with a warm blanket on a Sunday afternoon, hang "go away" on the door
whenever we want, clean and tidy often... or never, launch from and return to,
are truly ourselves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie
How authentic are we really on a day to day
basis? We like to say “what you see is what you get,” but is that the real
truth? All the pictures of me that you see on Facebook, Instagram and all the
social media outlets, are carefully selected to depict the best of me; the “me”
I want you to see (which is still part of the true “me”… the visual best of me!)
Granted, I like to voice how open I am with
my thoughts and opinions, but don’t get me wrong, I’m still a very private
person who chooses what she wants to share and display to the world and outside
of the comfort of my home.
“All human
beings have three lives: public, private, and secret.”
― Gabriel García Márquez
― Gabriel García Márquez
The “me” you think you know may not be the
true “me”; does that mean that I’m lying, concealing or masking the true “me”?
No…it simply means that you don’t get
the whole me; you need to make sure you look through the appearances without
necessarily being able to “see” beyond them.
We all take pride in our appearances and need
to remind ourselves at all times that the good-old first impression leaves a
lasting impression. However, in many cases this causes the preconceived ideas that
people build about us (according to what they see) and their expectations of us
as opposed to the substance of the true “me”.
I don’t believe that appearances are
deceiving; it is our perception of what we see that is deceiving. Remember the best Sunday outfit doesn’t
open the door to heaven, the soul behind the shell will determine your final
home.
What do you think? Is semi-disclosure
making us dishonest? Is privacy a screen wall to picking and choosing what we
want to share and is there anything wrong with that? How raw are we willing to
be?
To the glimpse of us...
RosieSandz
RosieSandz
Picture: Neal
this is so true Rosie! I love the quote by Garcia Marquez. I have always thought that but not known how to say it well. thank you so much for participating in the link up! i'm so glad you did!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah for the opportunity, not only it was great to be able to share but I love the connection you built to allow us to read the different perspective on 1 subject
Delete