There once was a little girl who hid herself away from the world in the safest place she knew: in her own heart.
She then put it inside a big gold chest and buried that heart deep inside her and didn't tell anyone it was there. Some people dared to peek inside and wanted to know what was in there but she quickly chased them away to keep her treasure safe.
Meanwhile, that heart kept growing, as she did. The chest couldn't hold it safe anymore, it wanted to break open. But she had gotten so used to it being safely hidden away, she didn't even notice. She practically forgot it was there in the first place.
One day, the chest just broke open. It was a mess. She panicked. She couldn't keep the mess in. She was flooded. She didn't know what to do. Everyone would see all that she had worked so hard to keep hidden away. What would they say?
She was scared they would look at her in quiet disgust and walk away. She wasn't scared, she was terrified. She considered escaping life by taking the door marked "Exit".
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But then she heard someone say, “Wow!”
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It wasn't a disappointed "Wow!" It was an enchanted "Wow!" People started gathering around her, hugging her, saying, "I never knew you had this treasure inside of you! What a beautiful mess you are. I'm so glad to see it!"
She was so confused. She had worked so hard to keep a neat, clean perfect exterior ... and these people actually liked — loved — her messy insides?! She couldn't believe it. She had spent her whole life hiding herself away from the world.
She had kept her mess to herself. She was so afraid of what would happen if she let anyone see it.
It would take her a long while to get used to not hiding her mess. To let herself be seen, raw and naked. She wasn't sure she could do it. She thought of the cool kids in high school who didn't care what anyone thought. She remembered wishing she could be like them.
She wondered if it was finally her chance to be the cool kid. To just hang out and let it all hang out, and not give a damn what anyone thought of her. To not try and fix herself so she could be more lovable. To just be herself. To be out in the open. To bear the cold against her exposed skin. To find out that the warmth of the sun was stronger than the chill of the air.
Some things can just never be known until you experience them for yourself.
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Have an experience that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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