Fear/Break Loose/

Shameless…..what does that really mean? To be unapologetic? To be a person that does their own thing? To dress any kind of way or say anything with no filter? Words can really mean different things depending on the perspective. I see “shameless” as not being fearful of life’s scars. It is easy to walk around and mouth off how you feel to the entire world but are you brave enough to reveal your pain behind that speech? I believe secrets, (good and bad), are not meant to stay hidden forever. They are left uncovered for a certain period of time and then burst out into the open with waves of shock following behind it. As I am writing this, I am starting to see that some of the things we baffled at are experiences that are not new. I am not the first single mother or the last. I am not the only person that is dealing with an inner issue. People have been dealing with addictions, lust, and trauma for centuries upon centuries but we attach “shame” to those experiences, which allows those experiences to stay hidden in the dirt.

As a writer, I write stories that I want to hear and learn more about it. To be honest, I have a personal connection with each one of my writing ideas. Some of my life experiences have brought some pain and heartbreak but I cannot say that did not birth a lesson or some piece of wisdom. I try to weave what I have been through into my stories because I want to relate to the person on the other side of that pen. Even in my future writing pieces, things that I thought were going to stay as secrets are going to be revealed to the world not for boasting or self-pity but to lend lessons of hope. I told myself that I did not want to be the type of writer that cannot touch certain topics or perform in such a “religious manner” because that is what is expected of me. No sir. No ma’am. No way am I going to hide my heart. I heard a very interesting statement a while back when I was watching a YouTube video of a popular show. The cast member on the show was talking about not being ashamed to tell your story when you have already overcame it. Where is the shame in something when I have surpassed it by now? Why hide a past mistake when I have already recovered from it? Let’s go even farther. What’s the point of staying silent on certain issues if I am in the process of recovery and healing? I am not saying put all of your business out in the streets, (it’s your choice), but want to give insight into a different perspective.

How do I see secrets? I see them as part of my story. I see them as uncovered treasure waiting to reveal a truth that will help further me in life. Can secrets kill? I believe so. Pain is never good hidden and urge anyone to overcome their fear of talking to someone about it. Release the hurt so healing can surface. For me, I do this with my writing but also learning that I must speak out my truth to someone I trust at the same time. (The release of a painful situation is like peace to the soul.) On the other hand, that secret can be something good like discovering the strength you actually possess from dealing with difficult circumstances that can be used as a testimony or various gifts that are laying dormant inside of you waiting to be discovered by you. Secrets have a way of unleashing a bombshell and celebration at the same time. The bombshell is for the lie we been hiding behind and the celebration is the truth coming to set us free from that lie. Of course, this is not referencing to your family’s secret recipe, or that secret fishing spot over by the lake but this applies to those hidden secrets that are meant to bound us and to those secrets that are meant to empower us.

So these are my thoughts for today and something to ponder on for tonight. Rest peacefully!