LOH313 || ‎If I could make a wish today,... What would it be, to be happy?...

‎>Would be to live an authentic life...

This recent Halloween, like many people I wore a mask, so today I want to tell you about the masks we use in life, to imagine a happy life. Those that we did not buy in a store, but we learned to put on to be accepted, to avoid conflicts, not to disappoint anyone or to protect ourselves from what made us vulnerable.

Over the years I have understood that many of these masks fulfilled an important function, at the time. They helped us through difficult times, to find our place in the world and to feel loved. That's why I don't think we should be ashamed of having used them.

But I have also understood that there is a huge difference between protecting ourselves behind a mask and ending up living hidden behind it.

So yes we can be happy even if it doesn't seem like what we imagine, because there comes a time in life when one begins to value the tranquility of being authentic more than the exhausting effort of being accepted wearing a mask. And while taking off our masks may mean disappointing some people, it can also be absolutely liberating.

In the end, what's the point of spending a lifetime trying to get others to like and accept us if to achieve this we have to hide the person we really are behind a mask. I've also learned to be authentic, and I think I've been through all the masks!!... It can also mean facing a version of myself that I haven't known for a very long time.

Our life changes when we stop negotiating the things that do us good, and life becomes kinder, when we stop demanding ourselves in order to be happy. You’re never too old to dress up, be silly, and make memories with friends and family. At my age, life still surprises me.

Janitze.🐝