Taking your mask off has an entirely different meaning sometimes.

I am not sure that anyone really enjoys wearing a mask, but right now there are times when we have to.  I am so blessed that I only have to wear one very infrequently and only when I must go to public crowded places.

I spend most of my time outside paddling in the ocean, biking, and running  unless I am in the comfort and safety of my home or close friends.  My actual mask wearing is limited, but what does that mean “to wear a mask”?  I think about it very differently today because of our present pandemic challenges.   When I do wear my mask, I find that I look into other people’s eyes more as I cannot see their entire face, nor watch their lips move, or see their facial expressions.  I find myself paying closer attention to what they are saying under their own masks and perhaps with the expression in their eyes. I’m  also finding myself being more expressive with my eyes, if that makes sense.  I do still smile under the mask as I want others to see that smile.

This led me to ponder on other masks we wear.  As a mother, husband, CEO, owner, sister, brother, single person, son, daughter, wife, mentor, pastor or friend,  how often do we wear a certain “mask” and what does it look like to “take it off”?

I have been wrestling with this lately, because ultimately, we keep our masks on for as long as we want to.  Be careful what you do, because you become that mask, and then you can’t take it off.  If you get caught up in your masks, your life becomes a parade of masks.

It is easy to take off your mask if you want to.

What would I look like?

How am I living my life?

How would others see me?

Who am I without the mask?

“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything.  Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can become who you were meant to be in the first place.”  -Unknown