Mashiara's blog: "Thoughts "

Bare essence, my naked body Unveiled, unguarded, unapologetic A canvas of vulnerability, raw and true No pretense, no facade, just me In every curve and freckle, a story unfolds Whispers of past and promises of tomorrow Embracing my flaws, celebrating my strength In the silence of my skin, I find freedom No cloak of shame, no shield of fear Just the pure, unfiltered essence of being Naked and unbound, I stand tall In the beauty of my naked truth.

I'd rather be naked, stripped of all pretense and inhibition, unburdened by the weight of societal expectations. I want to feel the sun kiss my skin, the wind caress my body, without shame or fear. I crave the freedom of being truly myself, unmasked and unguarded, raw and unapologetic. I choose vulnerability over protective armor, authenticity over facade. So let me shed these layers of conformity and control, let me embrace my true essence and stand boldly in my truth, for I'd rather be naked than hide behind a mask.

In a world stripped bare of illusion and pretense, I embrace the naked way of life, Where vulnerability is my shield, And authenticity my armor. No masks to hide my true self, No walls to keep others at bay, I walk unencumbered by fear or shame, Embracing the freedom that comes with living authentically. In this naked way of life, I find beauty in imperfection, Strength in vulnerability, And connection in raw, unfiltered truth. I am stripped down to my essence, A soul laid bare for all to see, And in this nakedness, I find a freedom unlike any other. Gone are the trappings of societal expectations, The need to conform, The pressure to be someone I'm not, I am unapologetically me. In the naked way of life, I am free to be flawed, To make mistakes, To learn and grow without fear of judgment. Every scar, every blemish, Is a badge of honor, A testament to a life fully lived, An embrace of my humanity. I revel in the touch of the sun on my skin, The feel of the earth beneath my feet, The raw, unfiltered experience of being truly alive, In this naked way of life. I am stripped of all artifice, Embracing my raw, unvarnished truth, And in this vulnerability, I find my strength. No longer bound by the chains of expectation, I dance to the rhythm of my own heartbeat, Singing my own song, Living my own truth. In the naked way of life, I find liberation, In shedding all that no longer serves me, In embracing all that makes me whole. So I walk this path with courage and grace, A pilgrim on a journey of self-discovery, Embracing the naked way of life, And finding freedom in the vulnerability of being truly me.

The whole world paused this morning. Do you know why? Because an 8 year old’s tank was empty. The boys had already started their school day at their desks and I was preparing to leave for work when I noticed my littlest standing in the bathroom wiping his face. I paused at the door and asked if he was okay. He looked up with tears silently dripping and shook his head. When I questioned if something happened, again he shook his head. So I sat on the side of the tub and pulled him in my lap. I told him sometimes our heart tanks feel empty and need to be refilled. He cried into my chest and I held tight. I asked if he could feel my love filling him up? A nod, and tears stopped... I waited a minute... ‘Has it reached your toes yet?’ He shook his head no... ‘Okay man. We will take as long as you need. Work doesn’t matter right now. School isn’t important either. This right here, is the most important thing today, okay? Filling you back to the top. Is that good?’ *nods* One more minute... ‘Is your heart full of mamas love now?’ ‘Yeah...’ *looks in his eyes* ‘I see it shining in there, you’re full to the top, and you’re smiling!’ You may not be 8 - you may be 28, 38, 48 or whatever- but ALL of us run on empty just like he did. His week was so busy and so full and his little soul was just dry! We all have to pause, and take a moment to refill with the good things. prayer, sunshine, laughter, friends, hugs. Refill your empty, or you’ll find those emotions (tears, anger, snappy words) overflowing with no reason why. Take a moment. Refill. It’s the most important part of your day!

BEST ADVICE EVER!!!! SO TRUE!!! Are you familiar with the “Let Them” theory? I’ll tell you friends the more I grow the more I am okay with accepting the “Let Them” in my own life and relationships. This is something that took me a very long time to learn. I used to tolerate a lot because I didn't want to lose people. But I learned the hard way if they were really my people they would never treat me like that. Don't make the mistake of being so understanding and forgiving that you overlook the fact that you're being repeatedly disrespected. Let them be upset. Let them judge you. Let them misunderstand you. Let them gossip about you, Let them ignore you. Let them be "right." Let them doubt you. Let them not like you. Let them not speak to you. Let them run your name in the ground. Let them make you out to be the villain. Whatever it is that people want to say about you, let them! Kindly step aside and LET THEM. The hard truth is they know how much they are hurting you. And they just simply don't care. They did it knowing it could cause them to lose you. And they did it anyway. People that love you care about how they make you feel. The end. Let them go. There will be people that would rather lose you than be honest about what they've done to you. Let them go. The lack of respect was the closure. The lack of apology was the closure. The lack of care was the closure. The lack of acountability was the closure. The lack of honestly was the closure. Let them go. Make the decision to no longer sit at tables where you might be the topic when you get up. Let them go. You can still be kind. You can even still love them deeply. But do it from the distance they created in their words and actions. Access to you is a privilege they have proven they can’t be trusted with. Let them go. You don’t need to tell your side of the story. God already knows. Let God fight the battle for you. Let them go. It’s taken me a long time to get here. Sleepless nights, countless tears, managing a range of emotions filled with anger, disappointment, confusion and deep hurt. Lots of self reflection, self preservation, deep prayer and seeking wisdom from those much wiser than me. If you are struggling with this please know you are not alone. We will never understand why hurt people hurt people. But we can do the hard work to grow ourselves. Because healed people do in fact heal people. Don’t you dare let them steal your joy. Don’t you dare let them steal your light. Don’t you dare let them steal your peace. You are in control of that. Hold tight to what you can control and release your grip on what you can’t control. Let them go. ???????? ©?