The Journey Inward

"The truth hurts."
That is sometimes true.
"You can't handle the truth."
That is rarely true.

"The truth will set you free."
But not without pain and suffering and consequences.
"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
Until you hit 50 and you can't remember most things!

"When in doubt, tell the truth."
That keeps it simple.
"Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes."
It feels so vulnerable.

Today on a podcast, I heard this:
I want the "simple dignity of waking up without regret."
It's all that easy and it's all that hard.
But it is always worth it.

Sometimes lies protect the teller,
Sometimes lies protect the recipient,
But rarely do lies stay hidden,
And when they break open,
All you wish is that they had never been uttered,
Never been told in the first place.

Truth parceled out over time,
Is like a thousand tiny cuts that bleed you dry.
All you wanted was the bandaid ripped off,
So you could know it all, feel it all,
Take it all in,
And begin to heal.

Eventually, a cut becomes a scab,
But a scabbed picked at
Does not heal well.
It leaves scars, angry and crooked,
And takes way longer than it should,
Leaving an indelible mark to remind you always.

You've been betrayed.