Teach Me To Be Authentic

When I was in fifth grade I met the dude that would become one of my best friends. At first we didn’t like each other, but in time, we found common ground and from there on, we hung out all the time. What I love about hanging out with him is, rain or shine he is always the same dude.

With him you know exactly who you are talking to, you know exactly what he is thinking and you know exactly who he is and what he stands for. At no point did I ever have to question that. This is because my friend has the rare gift being completely authentic.

My friend is the person that teaches me to do the same. He teaches me to be one person to all and to show then my whole self, no matter all the insecurities and pitfalls of who I am. It’s not always easy. There are people that are hard to deal with and so it would seem easier to put on a facade to them, but in the end it only brings out pain.

I am learning everyday that being exactly the  man or woman you are is the best way to go about living life. It may not always be the easiest the path to do that, but it is the most honorable and it is one that leads down the best path.

I say this because I know full well the extent of people who seem one way today and are different the next. In a part of my life, I had many of those people around me. The hardest thing was figuring out that they were like that. For a while I thought them to be good friends. And in many ways they were. The problem was that their friendship was built atop a house of cards that didn’t represent the real people they were.

When they showed their true colors, things changed and in time I grew to dislike them. I couldn’t stand to be around them. And finally I made the decision to no longer be around them. It was too much. Now I know we can also struggle with always being exactly who we are all the time. Again sometimes it easier to play a part.

But to the friends that love you….Be yourself and only yourself and throughout your life, your greatest friends will know the real you and will thank you for it forever.