Being Real – The Velveteen Rabbit Way

What does being real mean? This is relevant specially for women who have to often hide their real selves to be accepted in a relationship.

The slogans of  ‘Being Real‘, ‘Being You‘ buzz around us very often these days. With a few quotes tweeted, some posts shared and by becoming part of the  forums of our choice – we think we are portraying our REAL selves. Honestly, being REAL (yes, the REAL in caps) ain’t that easy in a world filled with ‘mirages of perfection’.

Sometimes when I feel lost on my quest to find answers, I take refuge in the timeless stories from my childhood, and these stories become my guiding star – a guiding star that’s always reassuring and lights up to help me find my way.

The story revolves around a stuffed toy – a velveteen rabbit that is gifted to a boy on Christmas. When the rabbit is introduced in the boy’s nursery, he realizes that he is a simple toy among the myriad of toys that are more sophisticated than him – having moving parts and operate on switches and batteries.

The poor little rabbit was made to feel very insignificant, and the only person who was kind to him at all was the Skin Horse – the oldest toy and hence the wisest one at the nursery.

Here is the piece of conversation between the Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse that answers the question on Being Real in its most simple, yet profound way.

Velveteen Rabbit : What is REAL?

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Skin Horse : Real isn’t how you are made, It’s a thing that happens to  you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become REAL.

Love makes us Real. The love for one self and for others is what makes us Real. When we allow ourselves to be deeply affected by someone we are in essence, becoming more ‘Real’ through our openness.

The best way to understand the word intimacy is to read it as ‘Into-Me-See’ – When we allow someone to see ourselves, as we overcome the fear that our real selves is unlovable or not good enough – is when love grows. As someone put it – Love is the mutual beholding of one another’s realness.

Velveteen Rabbit : Does it hurt?

Skin Horse: Sometimes but when you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.

Without our armor of pretence, we open ourselves to be disliked by some, ridiculed by others but only when we open up being ourselves  – true connections, creativity and meaningful life happens. Hence once you are REAL, you grow beyond the ‘hurts’ from the ignorant few.

Image source: amazon.in

Velveteen Rabbit : Does it happen all at once, like being wound up or bit by bit?

Skin Horse : It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.

Being REAL is a process. It doesn’t happen all at once. It is a process that can be slow, painful, and hence doesn’t happen to everyone.

Skin Horse : Once you are REAL you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand. Once you are REAL you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.

True that! Once REAL, you can never be ugly and you can never go back to being unreal again!

And I sum it up with Colbie Caillat’s soulful song – “Take your make up off, let your hair down, take a breath, look into the mirror at yourself –  don’t you like you? Cause, I like you.” 

Published here earlier.

Image source: youtube

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