Openness.

In high school, I was a closed door to most. I wouln’t talk about anything personal. I was ashamed, embarrassed to have skeletons in my closet, and afraid to be betrayed by the listener.

With the help of God, a learned confidence, and some amazing people in my life, I learned to open up.

Now, I feel like a book that is easily read. Yet, most don’t often actually read the book because they assume that they know what the book is about. They judge the book by its cover.

Some skim the pages and get to know the details of my life a little better, but don’t proceed for fear of asking the tough questions or again making the assumption that they already know the details.

My closest friends are the ones who have spent hours reading me, getting to know every adjective of my story and learn stories and thoughts that so many miss out on. They get to know me because they put in the time and the desire to know more of my story.  They invest.

I still have a hint of fear of betrayal of man, which often leaves some questions unanswered. So I often remind myself of these words:

“To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control, that can lead you to be shattered in very extreme circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something very important about the condition of the ethical life: that it is based on a trust in the uncertain and on a willingness to be exposed; it's based on being more like a plant than like a jewel, something rather fragile, but whose very particular beauty is inseparable from that fragility.” - Martha Nussbaum