Shield

What’s armour to you? Is it an impenetrable shell that covers all easy target areas? Is it a mesh that only allows for some passage/flow? Is it large or small? Does it cover you from head to toe? Is it transparent – showing your vulnerabilities? What comes to mind when you hear ‘armour’?

I speak about armour this week because I think they are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they protect you while on the other hand, they keep good from you. Picture this…it is a cold morning but you expect it to warm up, therefore you wear your best shirt/blouse because it brings out your eyes, and then you add a thick coat to keep you warm. As the day wears on, you realise that it will not get warmer and you are destined to hide your great looking shirt/blouse. Now this is a very simple example, however, let’s dwell on it and change it a little. 

You leave the house with a stern face, so that all who meet you will fear you and will not dare to cross your path. However, under the stern face, is a heart that is willing to reach out but has been pinched one too many times. Therefore what does the stern face do? It keeps people away. And everyone with the potential for warmth is also locked out.

Alternatively,

You leave the house with a warmth radiating from within, so that all who meet you will be welcomed by the smile hiding just behind those eyes. You are grateful for  the warmth of the sun, no matter how much reason you have to complain about its intensity. Your heart’s warmth is magnified.

Life has taught us that it is quite unpredictable. And therein lies the greatest joys and sorrows. 

Let me try a poem…it’s been a while..no?

 

Dear you,

I am your protection.

I can grow as high or as thorny as you need me to.

I can be as impenetrable as you need me to

However, I want you to know that in your efforts to protect yourself, 

I can also keep out the good around you.

 

I am your gatekeeper.

I can allow all good and happiness to come in if you ask me to.

All I need is that you trust what you have built in me to protect you.

Sincerely,

Your armour.

 – The trouble with putting armour on is that, while it protects you from pain, it also protects you from pleasure – Celeste Holm

May your week unfold with all the intended good.

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