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On my 31st birthday last September, I was writing in my journal when I noticed a crinkled and stained piece of paper had fallen out ...
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I first visited Maui back when I was thirteen with my family. It was one of those trips that my parents saved air miles and ...
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Saugatuck, Michigan: A Blissful Weekend Getaway
Adam’s and my first year wedding anniversary was at the end of September and we wanted to make sure it was a memorable celebration for ...
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Paradise Island, Bahamas: A Long Weekend Getaway
I recently had the pleasure to vacay in Paradise Island, Bahamas for the first time and it was the perfect getaway. For us coming from ...
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South Island, New Zealand: A 10 Day Self-Drive Itinerary
Have you always wanted to go to New Zealand? Me too. There is SO much to see, so how do you narrow it down? When ...
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![Isn’t it mindboggling to think about the fact that we weren't wearing masks at the beginning of 2020? Fast forward to today and masks are now a part of our reality...𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯?
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I'm not talking about the physical masks we've been wearing. I'm talking about the 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙠 that prevents us from being our 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.
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As I entered college and my 20s, I consciously put on that invisible mask. It embedded into my skin after years of trying to please and appeal to those around me, as well as suppressing core parts of who I was:⠀
⇨ 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝟐: 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦. I was devastated when I wasn't accepted into the sorority I wanted. I also became a target of bullying on JuicyCampus.com about my weight (anyone remember that?!). I was insecure about the way I looked and compared myself to friends, thinking I wasn't good enough.⠀
⇨ 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝟑: 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦. I despised binge drinking and the way it made me feel. I preferred staying in and having quality conversations with my friends or taking time alone to write. Friends rolled their eyes at me, saying I was "too serious." I was apparently more fun when I drank. Drinking felt like my only option to hang out with my friends. FOMO was real when I didn't. I blacked out every time I went out to escape my demons.⠀
⇨ 𝐏𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝟒: 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦. I fell back into bad habits & began dating my high school bf, finding out he too had repeated his bad habits of cheating on me. Simultaneously, I lost my confidence and started to doubt myself. After months of being poked fun at about my writing and comparing my writing to those in my creative writing class, I made the decision to put writing behind me. It had no place for me in the real world.
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It wasn't until the day I decided to start Lipstick & Ink that I came 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 with the woman in the mirror wearing the mask.
[CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS]](https://thelipstickandink.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
