Being SEEN… SHOWING UP!

Some people learn early
Others learn late
Some never learn… in this lifetime
About being SEEN… SHOWING UP!

Some people hide themselves
Others are made invisible…
By society
By families
By an employer
By advertisers
By the police
By government

No matter how you’re made invisible
It is painful… incredibly painful

When the pain becomes too much
We begin fighting back…
Against the part of ourselves that wants to hide
Against the outside forces that have hidden us
Shrouded us
Cloaked us in invisibility
Disappeared us

We find role models for speaking up, showing up, BEING SEEN
Those who have gone before us
And chosen to be SEEN and shed light on their truths

And slowly… tentatively…
We begin to show up
And we find
That it is PAINFUL to be SEEN

But it’s a different kind of pain than the pain of being INVISIBLE
It’s a pain that serves a greater purpose
One that is worth having to tell a story
A story worth telling

We tell of truths needing to be told
We tell of inconsistencies

You… yes, you
You’re NOT invisible
I see you
And I invite you, all of you, to SHOW UP… to be SEEN
Your story, your personhood, is welcome HERE… NOW
Your courage is contagious
Please SHOW UP… for all of us and for you