Be conscious of the `masks' you wear to be accepted

Ihave a picture of myself as a 6-year-old standing with a friend all dressed up in our mother's dresses, hats, gloves and shoes.

I remember a Halloween when my grandchildren were small. It was the year we had three witches, a ballerina, an astronaut, a ninja, a teddy bear and a Batman.

For children, playing make-believe is a way of trying on different roles. Hopefully, as adults we no longer need to pretend.

Yet, many adults still do. We make-believe we are happy or successful or religious or wealthy or educated. We pretend we have good relationships and perfect children and the ideal job. We pretend we have no fears, no anger, no sadness and no problems. It makes everybody around us a little more comfortable if we act as if we have it all together. Few do.

A college student once framed the following for me: Don't be deceived by what at first you see. The noisy crowd around me only fills with empty laughter the corners of a very lonely heart. I'm on a journey by myself despite the many faces by my side. I live always on the margin — untouched by fellowship, and unattached. I use the language of participation and show the signs of social graces well. But if you linger close beside me you may be the first to hear the hollow sounds of loneliness, distance and isolation within the guarded boundaries of my life. My sentence? Isolation from mankind. My history? Fear, superficiality and neglect. My hope? The fragile possibility that someone may break through this empty shell and touch the untouched center of my heart.

In a time of “mask awareness,” we know the discomfort we feel when wearing one, but have you noticed the discomfort of the masks you wear to be accepted?