Hiding behind a shroud can be costly........

 ''We knit alone our life, before seeing by it our shroud.''

(Charles de Leusse)

According to those in the know, what we want and desire 

most of all in life is to be accepted and included

by others.

Others, as in friends, relatives, colleagues and people

we hold in high esteem.

In other words, we need to belong somewhere.

 Somewhere where we feel that we can

be ''ourselves'', somewhere where we feel connected 

and supported.

Somewhere where we can express our thoughts and

feelings freely without the fear of being rejected.

In short, a trusted relationship.

Relationships, in my view, are not static(stationary/unchangeable),

they are dynamic(flexible/changeable).

As they consist of human beings and human

beings are complex creatures who like a chameleon

shift and change depending on circumstance,

so do we.

Sometimes we might find ourselves at a crossroad

of having to choose whether to stay in a relationship

or not. Sometimes we may discover that we have 

changed and that who we now are no longer fit

in a relationship.

Sometimes we may feel that we need to hide certain

aspects of ourselves from others we have a relationship

with.

Sometimes we may feel that we may need to shroud

 our true nature in order to be accepted, loved and cared for

 by others important to us.

*

Quietly she opens the door.

Silence.

She removes her shoes gently 

and puts them on the floor.

A faint light from the kitchen

lights a path into the living room.

Carefully she takes a few steps

toward the light.

A sudden indistinct sound from

her daughters room makes her stop.

Clasping her handbag to her chest

she stands frozen in the middle of

the living room.

-I shouldn't have had that last drink,

she thinks to herself as she can feel 

herself swaying back and forth.

Assuring herself that nothing is

happening she tiptoes into the 

kitchen and puts her handbag on

the kitchen table.

Slowly she pulls out a chair and

sits down.

She opens her handbag and pulls

out her purse.

Empty.

Her heart skips a beat as she realizes

that she has lost all her money.

-Mummy?

Standing before her is her daughter

holding her teddy bear.

Quickly she pulls her ''the good

mummy shroud'' over her face

and pulls her daughter into her

arms.

-There, there Laura, lets get you

back in bed, she says hoping

that her daughter can't smell the

Casino, the booze and her

feelings of betrayal on her breath.

*

In our need for belonging, for acceptance and support it can

be tempting to resort to hide behind a ''shroud'' those aspects

 of ourselves we may view as un-desirable.

Maintaining a ''fake'' façade for a long time however

 can have serious consequences methinks.

For instance, at some point we may no longer be able 

to differentiate between our fake and authentic selves.

''There's no version of conformity that will

protect you from judgement---so you might

as well be judged for who you actually are.''

(Michell C. Clark)

about the image: acrylic on two large canvases

Title: ''Removing the shroud can make you feel naked''