Finding a safe place to lay my body and mind,

Under a tree that casts a shadow just big enough for me,

and with branches that seem to always stretch towards me with love even when I pull away,

I can rest and open my heart,

allowing the most beautiful parts of me to burst free.

But,

with my heart so open,

just like Pandora’s box,

that is not all that is set free.

From my open heart flows the deepest, darkest parts of me,

seeping out and overflowing onto all surrounding me.

I make a mess of my self and my soft, safe spot in the grass,

One much bigger than I had intended,

One that at times feels unmanageable.

The good thing about messes though, is that no matter how big they get, you can always clean them up.

It often seems easier, especially in our generation, to shy away from the mess,

But one cannot heal with out bleeding first,

And one will never experience pleasure, without at times also experiencing pain.

You cannot even begin to comprehend the amount courage it takes to open that kind of box,

One that reveals more than you were even ready to admit to yourself,

and even greater than that,

the courage necessary to remain open.

Though it may seem foolish to some, it takes someone incredibly brave to face a fear of such magnitude. A fright others can’t even fathom.

The fear of opening Pandora’s Box.