Revealing yourself to someone is ridiculously hard. Vulnerabilities exposed like nerves beneath the skin. Do you risk putting it all out there, knowing they may reject you, they may retreat? If they do, you believe you were right all along. It reassures you that your walls are necessary; your protections wise.

Just as risky to open yourself to the lesser possibilities. Maybe their reaction isn’t immediate, but you will question a change in attitude once you’ve shared the pieces you’ve held back.

In this world where we filter our photos, crop our thoughts down to pithy little comments, it is remarkably difficult to show someone the whole thing; unedited, unpolished.

Like pulling your heart from inside your chest and packaging it up, you wait to see the look on their face as they unwrap it. Darkest corners illuminated. Demons unveiled. Flaws and cracks highlighted, as they’re all you can see.

You hope they see more.