Love Takes Off Masks

2 thoughts on “Love Takes Off Masks”

1. What an interesting question! Contemplating it, I must, in all truth, say “no one” that I can think of. Yes, there have been friends in whom I’ve confided parts of my life that I would not do with other friends. I call them friends who are close to me in interests and activities but are not motivated by love, as I see it. Perhaps I would categorize their interest, willingness to listen and caring as curiosity and desire to know more about me. Is that love? This will make me spend time thinking about my relationships that I’ve had during my life and question whether I understand what love is.

2. In junior high, I had a best friend to whom I confided just about everything. I thought he was open with me, too, though I later found out there was a lot of hidden resentment as well as secrets he was scared to share. He did show he cared at first, though, and that kept me going.

   Since that relationship ended, I haven’t had the same kind of openness and closeness. There are people who know a lot about me such as therapists and people in support groups I’ve been in. However, even with them there’s things I don’t feel comfortable sharing. People in one support group might know a lot about a certain issue, but if I need to talk about a completely different issue, I find a support group specific to that. There’s issues I know few therapists have a clue about so I don’t open up about them. Beyond that, I doubt any of these people actually love me. They probably care to some extent, but “love” is a bit strong a word.

   I have had a few friends since then, but not many. They probably did/do love me. One said it aloud frequently; the others showed it with their actions. While I have confided in them about a few things, there’s a lot they don’t know and probably never will. I don’t pretend I’m someone I’m not, but I do avoid certain subject matters.

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