What Are You Hiding in There?

Image by Liquid Paper via FlickrDo you remember playing Hide and Go Seek, or Manhunt, or Flashlight Tag, or any other game where you would make yourself difficult to see and your friends would have to work to seek you out? How much fun to run away and know that the people who enjoyed our company would came and find us. How reassuring when they actually did. I did have a rather mean cousin who every once in awhile, would leave us out there, waiting for someone to take the trouble to come and find us.

Though we tend to play those games less and less as we grow older, I am often aware that we still hide our true selves away. We disguise out true nature and feelings behind masks of confidence, bravado, irritability, sarcasm, sadness, quietness, braggadocio, all kinds of ways of being in the world that are designed to keep our authentic self hidden safely away where no one will find it.

I am convinced that on some level, we really want to be found. We long for someone to take the time to seek us out. Think about your best relationships. Weren't they with people who didn't give up on finding you? The people who you know you can really trust were the ones who were patient and found you behind the hiding place you show to the rest of the world.

Points to consider today are in two directions, inward and outward:

• What disguise do you use to hide behind? What would happen if you "came out of hiding" once in awhile and allowed others to see you fully and authentically?
• Where are your friends and acquaintances hiding? What mask are they wearing that makes it challenging for you to want to go find them? What would happen if you stuck it out and went and discovered who they really are?