Honesty.
At 8, I believed anything.
At 18, I believed a little less.
At 28, I wasn't sure what I believed.
At 38, I know what Billy Joel said is truth. Honesty is such a lonely word. EVERYONE is so untrue. None of us are exempt. Honesty is a lifestyle.
At 48, 58, 68, 78, 88 and if I'm lucky enough... 98,
I know I will never settle for anything less - or strive to be anything less.
The older I get, the more I tend to see honesty either beautifully dress relationships or the lack thereof expose their nakedness. Honesty is the required foundation in family. In friendships. In business. In love. In life. People who practice honesty, in all things, simple and hard - do so because they believe in integrity... they desire honesty, so they give it. If honesty is based in truth and truth is light - we cannot grow in the dark. We need honesty to bloom.
We must be what we require.
Honesty is a comfort and a safety net for us. We depend on it. We place reliance and trust upon the amount of honesty or dishonesty we are given. We don't like dishonest businesses, lying people or distortion campaigns. As a society we crave honesty, but are immersed in so much that is opposite of it. And sometimes we don't like a person's honesty with us, even when we need it. Many times the dishonesty we most often practice is with ourselves.
We must practice honesty, with others and within - even when others are dishonest with us. Today is a new day and honesty is just as free for the taking as it was yesterday. Choose it. And whether everyone else around you passes, your portion of it always remains ready for the taking and ingests best when consumed regularly... like a good vitamin. :) If we put goodness in, we radiate goodness out. Honesty is the cornerstone - it is the very difference between building on rock or sand. Continuance in it, fortifies. Defiance of it, dissolves much back into sand. It is increasingly becoming my line of where I divide that which I cut away, and that which I keep. With others, with myself. Striving for honesty and to be honest can never be a regret, only the opposite can.
We all know good, honest people. I post this flower because it reminds me of the most honest soul I know; I love you Grandma. And when I think of this word, I think of you. Honesty. I think it's a beautiful word. A sight for sore eyes.... and I never want to lose my focus of it. Thank you sweet Grandma for being such an example of it.
Honesty is hardly ever heard, but mostly what I need... what you need. What we all need.
