*The title of this post was taken from the Bayside song of the same name*
Imagine for a moment that you’ve walked into an attic.
You’re surrounded by old trunks, clothing, and miscellaneous boxes that haven’t been opened in years.
In the corner of the attic is what appears to be a covered painting.
You move over to the painting and remove the sheet that’s obscuring it.
Beneath a film of dust is a remarkable work of art, what many might consider a masterpiece.
Now, imagine the artwork is you.
And you’ve managed to stuff some pretty important parts of you back into a neglected corner somewhere.
Maybe you assumed that if no one saw those parts of you, that maybe they wouldn’t exist.
Or maybe you thought that by pushing them away they would fix themselves.
My kind advice for you is to consider yourself a masterpiece.
You’re already beautiful (or handsome.)
You’re already worthy of recognition.
You have, by all accounts, already arrived.
Your charm.
Your sense of humor.
Your compassion.
Your selflessness.
They are the colors, the texture and the canvas of the painting: those are the parts of you that matter.
Now…
You may have weight to lose. That’s “dust.”
You may have strength/lean muscle to gain. That’s “dust.”
You may have pre-exisiting health issues that need your direct attention. That is also “dust.”
Those factors are not YOU.
And once you’ve removed that film of dust from the painting, what’s left is still remarkably, uniquely, and undeniably you.
A word of caution: spend too much time working away at the dust and you might find yourself removing the colors of that precious art beneath it.
The masterpiece.
At the risk of writing a message that may be a little too “woo” or “frilly” for some tastes, you have everything you need to realize your own perfection.
Don’t let the “dust” determine your worth.
Take care to clean off those unpolished edges, remove the sheet that’s kept you hidden for how ever many years you’ve allowed, and show the world the you that was meant to be.
