Masks

“Behind every sweet smile, there is a bitter sadness that no one can ever see and feel.” – Tupac Shakur

How often do we put on masks when we go out into the world? We smile and laugh, and act if everything is ok. We act as if things are simply perfect and that we are happy.  People may see us and say “Good morning!  How are you?”  And we simply respond, “Wonderful!  I’m great!  How are you?”  Anyone looking at us will think that we have it all together, that we are happy, and don’t have a care in the world.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  We give that rehearsed robotic response when deep down we just want to scream out that we are not ok, and that we are in fact miserable, depressed, anxious and so on. 

People all over the world are suffering from some kind of depression and every day they have to put on a smile for the world when they simply want to crawl up into a ball and hide.  Be gentle with others.  It cost you nothing to smile at someone, tell them that you hope they have a great day, or to just tell them that they are amazing. 

In my blog post entitled “What Is Your Why?” I mentioned that you never know what someone is going through, and how your words might positively impact them.  Hearing your words may have made them smile for the first time that day.  Or perhaps, they were considering doing something unimaginable yet permanent, and you gave them a glimmer of hope that fueled them to continue moving forward knowing that it would get better.  Be sure to check out that blog post here.

Let’s look at Ms. USA, Cheslie Kryst, who earlier this year jumped to her death in New York. She was absolutely beautiful often smiling and to others, she appeared to have an amazing life. She was a lawyer, a host on EXTRA, and had many friends and family that loved her. However, it is unknown what she was suffering from internally. Again, we never know what people are going through and the masks that they put on daily just to get through the day. Be kind. Be gentle. Offer a word of encouragement. Kindness transcends the act itself and I hope that your life is filled with more of it.