Truth

Truth feels like it’s not so easy to come by these days.  Not from the new people in my life, the one’s whose motives I’m constantly questioning.  Certainly not from Twitter, Vaguebooking and the cynicism of the interwebs. Nowadays, I feel like I have to know someone -living, breathing in my face- for me to feel that I know their truth.

Do you ever consider the ways the internet allows us to curate?  I try, try, try to tell my truth here so you know that I am both trifling and triumphant, sacrificial and selfish, reverent and a rage-a-holic.  THAT if anything is my truth, that I am easily flying between these wildly contradictory adaptations of myself.

But, honestly? If you must know, there is only one who I tell ALL my truths. In the safety of that journal entry, the scribbled notes on the pad, the Evernote apps & penultimate iPad entries I try and beat the truth out of me in painful detail in the form of prayers.  Honest, gut-wrenching, profanity-laced, anger-laden & joy-filled words sprawled out onto the page to my Lord.  When I write (or type) those prayers to God I make myself promise: HERE.  This is where the FULL TRUTH comes out.  HERE.  This is where no motive or emotion will go unturned.  HERE.  This is my no holds barred space. HERE.  If I’m not honest anywhere else, I know I will be here.

There’s so much safety in that truth telling dwelling. It’s a beautiful bed and breakfast, it smells like blueberry pancakes and bacon, it’s warm of course.  And there’s waves, loud ones. It’s an exotic locale, the kind where you look out the window and see beautiful palm trees and plants you don’t usually see back in your hometown. It’s that kind of safety.  It’s the Bed & Breakfast hug. It’s the alone time hug. It’s that feeling when you know you are fully known and fully loved.

And if that’s not truth, y’all? I don’t know what is.

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“On Fridays around these parts we like to write. Not for comments or traffic or anyone else’s agenda. But for pure love of the written word. For joy at the sound of syllables, sentences and paragraphs all strung together by the voice of the speaker.

We love to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. For five minutes flat.

Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in {you can grab the button code in my blog’s footer}.

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes for the prompt: Truth.”

–Lisa-Jo Baker’s Five Minute Friday