Prompt 1: When you saw the word mask, was your first interpretation protection, covering up, persona, or performance?

When I first saw the word "mask," I thought it referred to Halloween 2012. That is when everyone wears costumes, adults and children alike.

Another interpretation is the "mask" people put on during their daily lives.

There are those of us who may suffer from depression. Others have low self-esteem. We put on a happy face and carry on like nothing is bothering us. Those around us may think we are free of worries or just happy all the time. That is not always true.

We wear the figurative mask to hide our true selves. This could be due to many reasons. We do not want others to know that everything just may not be alright. People may just prefer to be loners and stay by themselves. We do not want to feel like a burden to those around us. Thus, we prefer to keep things to ourselves.

I am one of many who wears a mask every day of my life. I may look fine on the outside. The smiles and laughter abound. On the contrary, I am tore up on the inside, trying to fight my way out of the darkness. I am working on healing myself. It is a painful thing. Of course, life is never easy. If it were, we would learn nothing.

Until next time...

Happy Writing!