Being true to yourself...

I know of many people, myself included, who can only be truly real when they are with their loved one.

I suppose it takes another person to see who you really are before you can. Although I have noticed, when my true-self is unhappy, I can still be happy and laugh when I’m out with my friends, and I know for certain that some of my friends do it too. So, what does it mean? Are we temporarily happy, are we just faking it, does it lift our spirits to be around friends that understand you and enjoy your company or do we just phase in from one part of ourselves to another when we are around different people?

I'd like to think that spirits are lifted, and that happiness is contagious, but sometimes I see through my friend’s fake laughs and strained smiles and see a glimpse of their true-selves, and my heart goes out to them.

One thing I have learnt, is when you loose that loved one, the one person who can see you for what you really are, and who loved you all the same, it empties you. I've felt that emptiness, like looking into a mirror and seeing only blank, like an empty canvas in the darkness. And the one thing we always forget is that a blank canvas is an invitation to create a masterpiece.

But the most I can do now, for those who have lost, is provide a warm shoulder and an open invitation for a home cooked meal any time she wants.