Sincere

I don't even know where to begin with this one. So few people in the public eye are sincere these days that it's hard to come up with a substantial train of thought on the topic. I'm lucky that I have friends who are sincere. I don't want to confuse this post with the one coming up on honesty, because I have quite a lot to say about that. When I think of someone being sincere, I think of the people I know who are genuine, people I can trust like my former coach, Bobby, my mom and several close friends. These people are real and honest. You know what you get with them, and they are consistently themselves. Most of the people I know to be sincere also happen to be kind and caring. I know they will never try to be deceitful and are never hypocrites. Even if they feel the need to offer criticism, it's done in a way that's not threatening or hurtful. I work for several people like this, taking care of their pets when they travel. Oddly, there are a few people I don't know well who strike me as sincere, though one can never be 100 percent sure, without access to another person's thoughts, how they really are. We can, on the other hand, know if we are being our natural selves usually with a little self-reflection or meditation.

"To thine own self be true." 

Being sincere can put you in a vulnerable position. This might be why people will choose being fake instead. Speaking from the heart, being truthful and opening up can be scary. If we can move away from mechanically acting how we assume others want us to, we allow for new experiences. I feel like I should be quoting some Buddhist teachings or something here, but if we can quit hiding behind masks and be who we genuinely are, be the person we are alone out in public, we get the chance to solidify and know more fully who we really are. Plus, being authentic encourages others to do the same. It's true that insecurities can lead a person to act less sincere, but in attempting to be true, we face those insecurities and can even get past them.

Hum.. Clearly this post is another one of those short ones. I'm just not in the habit of blogging daily, and it's becoming a bit of a struggle only 5 days into the challenge. I guess I will look at this sort of like a recovery run- three miles easy in written form or something, because I'm not feeling it today. Instead, I will leave you with the lyrics to a song from the Music Man.

                                      How can there be any sin in sincere

Where is the good in goodbye?

Your apprehensions confuse me dear

Puzzle and mystify (Mystify)

Tell me what can be fair in farewell, dear

While one single star shines above

How can there be any sin in sincere?

Aren't we sincerely in love?

Oh, we're in love!