Abandon the Mask

"There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face."~ William Shakespeare

Babies' faces are wonderful not only because they're physically beautiful, but because they're absolutely candid. It is a rarity and a joy to look into a face that pretends nothing, hides nothing, and disguises nothing. Such faces are beautiful because they reveal wholeness. Few adults have such faces. And unlike babies, who are innocent because they lack experience and are yet untouched, adults may be survivors of brutal experiences. For some adults, candor and openness have been reborn because they were willing, over time, to abandon their masks one by one. Now that they aren't hiding anything, they don't have to prevent anyone from looking in. Because their insides match their outsides, their faces clearly reflect the wholeness that was restored to them. It is a privilege as well as a joy to see such clarity and freshness shining out of an adult human being. And it is evidence that renewal is possible.

Today, I will begin to remove the mask of perfectionism.