unfolding my soul

"Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is talking to another person you can trust, to whom you can unfold your soul. One other person you feel safe enough with to allow you to acknowledge things—to acknowledge things to yourself—that you otherwise can’t. Doubts you aren’t supposed to have, questions you aren’t supposed to ask. Feelings or opinions that would get you laughed at by the group or reprimanded by the authorities."

~ Excerpted from "Solitude and Leadership" by William Deresiewicz, from The American Scholar

I love that idea that by being open with another person about the inner workings of your soul is really a form of introspection. Rather than make broad assumptions, I'll just speak for myself here. I only rarely meet someone with whom I connect with so deeply that I feel like I can share all of myself with them. With most people I hold part of myself back mostly because I'm unsure of whether they'll accept all of me or even be interested in knowing me that intimately. Perhaps others connect deeply with people more frequently, but I suspect that isn't the case. Perhaps each of us is only meant to have that deep connection with a few people in our time here on earth.

At this moment, I'm just feeling very grateful for the ones who know me from the inside out and love me all the same. They're worth holding on to.