“Seven times have I despised my soul: The sixth time when she despised the ugliness of a face, and knew not that it was one of her own masks.”  ― Kahlil Gibran

I was thinking a bit this morning about the ‘masks’ we often wear.

As children, we don them proudly and to fit a certain image. Whether simply a ‘good’ boy or girl, or more directly – ‘My goodness, what a clever child you are.’

From a young age we are conditioned – our parents and teachers urging our obedience in a world that begs our curiosity. School reports measure our intellect; trophies demonstrate our talents. But, nothing every really comes close to showing the true capacity of our loving heart.

Day by day, our world turns into a labyrinth of acceptance. The masks we wear becoming more and more like those we believe others most wish to see.

As a result, we end up pulling a little further away from our authentic self.

“No man,” writes author Nathaniel Hawthorne. “can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

Through the years, the essence of who we are becomes buried under our facade. So much so, that we often lose sight of that which we most want and need:

A connection to our most authentic self.

Have you ever experienced a moment, my darlings – in which you wondered; How did it ever slip away? The confident, adventurous, risk seeking self; the one which made my heart smile in return?

In that moment you might feel convinced that it has all but disappeared. But, I’m here to share with you, my darlings – your authentic self, that treasure chest of heart and soul, has been right here with you all along.

Simply waiting for you to find the courage to ask, “Just who am I beneath my mask?”