Guarded

Being an established coffeeholic I have been a patron of various Montreal coffee houses over the years which has seen me meet a variety of people. Many are fascinating and when we try to open ourselves up a bit they will reveal little portraits of who they are.

As somewhat of an introvert it hasn't come naturally to me and yet it has ultimately proven to be positive. The more we lower our own defenses the more others feel safe in doing the same. The carapace we use for self protection can be lowered and we are rewarded with the warmth that many people possess but are often leary of showing until they feel a degree of safety in doing so.

I have always been impressed by gregarious people who can be themselves and envied their ability to make you feel at ease. They are always the first to lower their guard and demonstrate that they mean no harm by inviting us to trust them a little with gestures as simple as a warm smile.

As someone who learned early in life to be mistrustful and careful about divulging too much information, it has been beneficial to my psyche to let people in more. Maybe with age we just don't care anymore about what people think.

There is always a little risk but the reward is ultimately worth the effort.