it's all a matter of existing in the intermediate. if you give too much of yourself away, you're sure to get swept up in the breeze.

in some cases, we are so un-modest, we can't be satisfied with one face; we switch off between two. if you put your pride so far out, it has the potential of becoming something that's not you, and then what? you're stuck with associations and assumptions that you might not want or need to own. long story short, authenticity requires some degree of humility.

to be modest, we must be like a rose. as we bloom, we open and learn as we experience new things. but modesty requires some reserve. thorns are not meant as daggers, but as armor. they aren't intended to cause harm, to offend, to obstruct or to intimidate; they're there to defend, protect and preserve the beauty on the inside. it's not hiding, it's just cautious. simple. aware of itself, and revealing only what is necessary for the world to know it for what it is. if you live life like a daisy, stretching your petals as far as they'll go, it won't be long before you wilt from the sun or get plucked, petal by petal, under the reliance of some wishful thinker.

i don't claim to know much, but i offer the challenge to think not highly of yourself, but higher than yourself.

bloom, be, and be beautiful. recognize what is beautiful in the world and the world will recognize the beauty in you.