Sharing Deep Parts of You

“I have always been ashamed of being scared ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
and I’m only realizing now that I shouldn’t be…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
the world never owed us anything⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
yet it gives us a thousand chances⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
and I am trying my best to take them.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I ran across this poet Finn Butler by accident (or serendipity, I’d prefer to believe) when I discovered her poem Saltwater, which I shared with you last month. The poem reached so deeply into my soul and expressed exactly how I was feeling so I googled her and discovered she had a self-published booklet of her poems. I ordered it and am sharing a little bit of it with you today.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This made me think about all of the amazingly talented people out there who have something so incredibly valuable to share who have a distinct voice rooted in life experiences that resonate deeply with others and make us all feel a little less alone and a lot more connected. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It makes me wonder how many of us are out there with beautiful, valuable voices desiring to be expressed in all the beautiful art forms that don’t because we’re afraid so hold ourselves back. Why do we want to share our intimate work yet at the same time, it scares us so much? It all goes back to what I’ve said before and will say again and again… that our greatest fear and deepest desire is being seen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Being seen is scary because we risk judgment, rejection and pain. But the pain of spending a lifetime hiding and not being seen is so much greater than the risk of someone rejecting you. I’ve lived my life both ways and I don’t want to ever hide again because I realize that by hiding, I was already rejecting myself over and over again before I gave anyone else a chance to. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Sharing those deep parts of yourself is always true. And what is always true is always beautiful.