Shying Away Shyness

     Consider it ridiculous or absurd, but one of the common barriers most people have in establishing a relationship or an acquaintance is SHYNESS. We've been through this very difficult struggle, especially when we are in the midst of something new in our lives - a new work environment, a new group of people to deal with, a new task to figure out, etc. - and faced with such uncertainties, we automatically shirk away! Because in dealing with something new or something foreign or strange, we are caught putting a spotlight over our sense of inferiority.

     Will I be able to understand this new lesson being taught?

     Will I be able to get along with this people?

     Will I be receiving a bad remark from this stranger?

     Will I be looking stupid or funny or queer or weird as I introduce myself? And so on and so forth...

     I too share the same problem, being an introvert, and the simplest attempt of extending a greeting, may it be a "Good Morning" or a "Hello", can be a bit of a challenge. Sadly, because of this, I am often times being mistaken for being rude or a prude, when my problem is as simple as just being shy. 

     But SHYNESS isn't that simple of a problem. Actually, SHYNESS should be given a necessary overhaul or makeover, because allowing ourselves to be hidden under the covers restricts us, bars us, pulls us away from the chance and the opportunity to meet an acquaintance, and hopefully, a true friend. 

     It makes a big difference, which I am slowly discovering in my attempts to overcome my shyness, how a mere "Hello" or "Good Morning" or "How are you?" can turn the key and open up a passageway, a connection, for two strangers to be known to each other. And from there, that's where the miracle happens... how the so-called FRIENDSHIP and COMPANIONSHIP blossoms and bears fruit. 

     No man, after all, is an island and no man was created by our God to be alone, or in solitude. Because God, being all LOVE, created us in His image and from there, we take part and we are called to live in accordance to that. And LOVE is something that is attributed with COMMUNION, the SHARING and IMPARTING of whatever good we have in us. How could we deprive ourselves of that exercise, of that chance to bring into a concrete reality of God's MIRACLE, of God's BLESSING. And it all begins by shying away our shyness, reveal ourselves from our hiding places, and show to the world how BEAUTIFUL God is... through YOU, through ME, through EVERYBODY.