I love looking into a person's eyes because no matter what they wear, be it a mask or a disguise they can never hide what they are truly feeling. Some say the the eye is the window to the soul and I'm not sure if that's true but I do know that your soul is the real you and if your eyes show that, too, then who am I to say that the window isn't true? Besides writing I enjoy to draw and I once had a teacher who told me that if I could make the eyes look real, the rest of the face will fall into place. The mind is funny that way, it will try to finish a picture without stopping to say, "Oh, that face has no nose" which is why Picasso sometimes only drew half of the picture because he knew the human mind wouldn't wait for a, "go!" Humans do that a lot, we jump to conclusions without stepping back to understand the whole plot. Instead we extend our pointer fingers at innocent people because since we were two we have learned that we can get out of trouble if we simply step back, extend our fingers, and yell, "you!" But passing the blame works about as well as drinking your problems away. Because in the morning you'll wake up and the problems will still be there along with a pounding headache reminding you that you still have to survive another day. So why do we, as humans, try to find an easier way when we know we cannot hide from the truth? We're so afraid of letting others in that we create these walls with bricks full of lies because we think people will be more accepting of this mask we created than what really lies within the walls. That's why I'm beginning to understand why the eyes are the window to the soul. Because these walls are so high that it is impossible to look over them. And these lies are so rooted no one can dig deep enough to crawl under them. And these bricks we lay are so thick x-rays can't see through them. But if you look straight into a person's eyes and stare you will find a window that this person has strategically placed within their wall hoping someone, anyone, would care enough to find it. But we rarely find these windows because our generation doesn't like eye contact. The sad fact is that we are so busy keeping our walls up that we don't stop to think that everyone around us has their own walls, too. We are so busy waiting for our knight in shining armor to come and throw open our shutters and accept the real us that we don't realize that courageous knight is really just a regular person wrapped in tin foil waiting for us to look through their window. So next time something doesn't go your way or the next time someone messes up your day instead of acting with anger, take a deep breath and let it go. Because every person has a story and you never know what someone is dealing with. That lady who stepped on your toe with the heel of her stiletto was rushing to her father's bedside before he breathed the breath of surrender allowing cancer to finally strangle him. That boy who elbowed you this morning, causing you to spill your coffee, pulled his shirt sleeve down as he walked away trying to hide the scars lining his arm reminding him of the kids who criticized and laughed at him while calling him "gay." Because no one was brave enough to look into that boy's window. Yes, you may have gotten coffee on your shirt, but you can easily walk down the street and buy another one. But that boy can't buy another arm because the damage is already done. So next time you see someone trip in the hall instead of shuffling past and solidifying the bricks in your wall... Stop... Lend a hand... and once that person is up on their feet, look into their eyes. Don't cheat and look at their mouth. Look straight into their window and ask, "Are you okay?" Because true eye contact shows you are sincere and they may not have heard those three words in over a year. Their answer will probably be short and then they'll be on their way and you'll be on yours but at least you can say you helped to ease their hurt. I like looking into a person's eyes because no matter what they wear, be it a mask or a disguise, they can never hide what they are truly feeling.