Five Minute Friday: Real

I took a break from Five Minute Friday last week to post one of the hardest posts I have ever written.  But I am back in the swing this week and it's time to click over to the Gypsy Mama and join in on this wonderful writing exercise.

Today's prompt: REAL

Go.

Real can be amazing.  I decided this week to be real with myself and all of you.  I spilled my guts.  Put all my feelings out on the interwebs and posted pictures I would normally keep to myself.  It was scary and extremely hard, but I'm so glad I did it. 

Because REAL means I get to be encouraged by all you wonderful people that visit me here.  REAL means I get to hear your stories.  REAL means that you know I'm not perfect, and I know you're not perfect, but we love each other more for our imperfections. 

This week I received so many beautiful comments from you wonderful people.  And many more pageviews.  I hope sharing my story helped you or inspired you as much as your words and your visits inspired me.

It can be difficult to put our real selves out there.  Hard to present the real picture to the world.  We have so many perceived expectations of what people want from us.  From this experience, and many others, I've discovered that mostly people just want to know that everyone else's lives are just as beautiful and messy as theirs are. 

Real is what connects us.  Forms friendships.  Helps us to grow.  Helps us to become more of who we REALLY are and be better for it.  So thank you for letting me be real here, for your kindness, and for being real back.

Stop. 

What experiences have you had when you decide to be real with yourself and others?