Being Your True Self

Can there be anything more important than being your true self? Not according to Allison and David. Here are the remarks I shared with them and their guests, that reflect just that:

In an episode of 30 Rock about 15 months back, Jack, played by Alec Baldwin, is preparing his staff for a visit of some executives from their parent company, Kabletown. As they are about to arrive, he has a few last words of encouragement and preparation, "OK, remember everyone, just DON'T be yourselves..."

Now, like all great satire, this idea is funny, because it is a slightly modified portrayal of what is only true. All of us have had a boss at some point, who implicitly, if not explicitly, told us what Jack tells his staff. Beyond that, we all have an internal Jack, who - let's face it - in most situations in life tells us not to be ourselves.

It is therefore refreshing, when Allison writes about her first date with David, "I had never met someone with whom I felt at ease so instantly. It was so easy to just be myself around him." She also says that he is much the same with her, that he, "is such an open book", and that he is "an amazing communicator.

Essentially, what Allison is saying is that with each other, they are able to be their true selves. That, I believe is what true and deep love is all about. It is about not having to put up a facade. It is about being able to let your guard down. It is about allowing your inner most self come out. That is what Allison and David's love is all about.

Allison and David, may you throughout the years and decades together be your true selves with each other, and through that may you both flourish and continue to grow, as individuals and as a couple.