My Worst (and best) Trait

For as long as I can remember, people have been telling me that I wear my heart on my sleeve. At first, I disagreed. I liked to think that my heart was buried so far down that nothing could hurt me. I used to believe that I was tough, I had a rock-hard exterior, and I didn't let anyone in far enough to break me. See, whenever I heard that expression, it was never meant as a good thing. It was like telling someone, "you are too emotional." Or, "you should really stop caring what others think so much."

So, as I got older, I came to realize that I do indeed wear my heart on my sleeve. When you say something mean to me, it hurts. And that pain is clearly written across my face. I guess in some ways this does make me too emotional. Because yes, I overreact sometimes and I cry a lot more than most people. I might even try to hurt you back if you succeeded at hurting me bad enough. I am not always great at control how I feel. I definitely take things personally. My mom tells me that I'm sensitive, but realistically, I am just wearing my heart on my sleeve.

BUT-- you want to know what? I'm okay with it. Being upfront with how I feel as allowed to live more completely. When I am hurt, you know it. When I am happy, you know it. And when I love you, that's right... you know it! I don't mind all my crazy up and down emotions. In fact, I kind of like them. I do not want to go through life without experiencing it. I have no intention of being numb to the world. I want to feel, learn, and grow. I know that because my heart is on my sleeve, it is more likely to be broken. Yet, it is also more likely to be filled with love. While getting hurt is a horrible feeling, we can only find happiness if we are truly willing to put ourselves out there.