Unmasked.

I hate new things,
but I love new things.
Yes, I realize this is an oxymoron, I have just accepted the fact that my life is laced with them.

I'm at a new dance studio.
It sucked leaving my old one.
It sucked starting the new one.
But as I start to find my footing, make a fool of myself, and face these gargantuan fears no one else even realizes are there, I find myself in one of my favorite times of meeting new people.

You can never take back a first impression.
With some people, first impressions are only the first layer of beauty the person possesses.
With others, it's about the only beautiful thing you'll see.
Nonetheless, these are my favorites, because you get can learn so much.

There's this girl in my Ballet V class that has to be the sweetest person I've ever met.
But she's not so shallow as to just remain there.
She's one of the first of the girls I didn't know to talk to me, and that has meant so much.
More than that, she's real.
People say that I'm sweet, but they don't seem to leave me room to be anything other than sweet.
She was late one day and clearly frazzled, and when someone asked her, she didn't mask it.
The thought of not masking to some people is unheard of to me.
With more thought, I can recognize that there are times that I can be unmasked, and others where it's easier to not be.
I guess the hardest part is encountering those people who knew me when I was younger; ya know, before the world took it's beating, before I had to fight my way to survival. Who they knew me then, although the same person, functions a bit differently now. Some can accept it, but others aren't as open. It tends to be the ones that are just takers that have the hardest time. Sadly, some takers are a necessary evil.

Anyway.
Seeing her reaction and her honesty in life really showed me it's possible. That you should have a place that's safe to be yourself and not have to put up a front, and you should strive to life an unmasked life. (Given that you're a decent human being and not just using that as an excuse to be a jerk.)

So, thanks for being sunshine, Eloise, and for not being afraid to show that sometimes rain happens.