Stop Being Polite, Start Getting Real

A new era of Rook has begun, and it is an era I would like to share with you, my loyal readers, and this is an era of "getting real". A very wise person brought a few very interesting ideas in to my life last week, and the most important of all of those ideas was the fact that the first few times she met me, she thought I had this odd air about me, a meanness of sorts. This caught me off guard. Of all of the things that I consider myself to be, mean isn't one of them. She went on to tell me that after spending some time with me, she came to notice that I am in fact not mean, but just very closed-off. Translation: I don't let people in to see the real me, because I am afraid of getting hurt. Her advice to me; start getting real. I thought about this statement for a really long time... What am I if not real? And while at first, her statement really bothered me, it eventually occurred to me that she was absolutely 100% right. Only a handful of my closest friends and family know the "real" Rook, and in my humble opinion, she is a pretty good person to know, so why shouldn't the whole world know her? I should probably translate, I haven't been being fake, I just haven't been showing my full-hand, so to speak. Who cares about getting hurt? So, as I started out saying, this is the beginning of a whole new era of Rook-the era of "getting real". I've got to say, it's a pretty exciting thing, and it's working just as it should! Why hide your emotions? Why be afraid? For after all, the other side of fear, is freedom.