'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit.
'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.
'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.'
'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?'
'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.
But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
As I think of this realness, I can't help but think of my sweet niece. Her love is so pure and uncensored. She meets the moments of her life with excitement and wonder. She is quick to embrace, to discover, and to uncover the gifts of 'Now.' She's simply love- engaged with life, full of wonder, trusting, and oh so real. Her tears roll sweetly down her petal cheeks and just as quickly as they came, a smile breaks across her lips. She gently announces that she is ready to climb 'up up up' the staircase. Her fingers nimble to experience the shapes of life. Her breath taken away by each new sight. Her heart brimming with unconditional love. She is the realest person I know, and by far the coolest:).
As I spend time with her, I feel the armor of adulthood melting away. All of the silliness disappears and I become enthralled in her world. My layers of protection, disappointment, and sadness- all of the detours and plot twists of my life suddenly seem inconsequential as I gaze into her beaming blue eyes. All moments brought me to this one with her. She continually reminds me to devour this moment and then the next. We giggle and gaze, and my heart grows even fonder of this precious soul that I am blessed to call my niece.
Who in your life is reminding you that 'When you are really loved, you are becoming real?' Real is beautiful. Real is bold. Real is messy. Real is so totally in style.
May you awaken and revel in your realness!!
May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude,
Sarah