The Secrets of Shadows

We all have shadows. They seem to follow us everywhere, even when we don't want them to. They linger in the dimly lit hallways, on the sidewalk on a rainy day, in water puddles, the mirror...and even farther down then what we can see with our naked eye....deep within our souls. Our shadows, define how we feel. How we act towards people, situations, and emotions. They leave a trace of questioning, as if they are afraid that they will get lost when they come back to us.

"I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see."  -Robert Louis Stevenson

Throughout the past couple months, I have observed many shadows in the people that I have come in contact with. Of course, I have my own shadow, but I haven't paid much attention to it...I prefer not to. The shadows that I see within people, saddened me. I see the shadow of a homeless man or woman, who tells them that they will amount to nothing...that its over. They will never get out of rock bottom. I see the shadow of a woman who can't trust people because of an abusive boyfriend...but she still loves him. I see the shadow of a little girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes, who just wants to be a princess, but she can't because other shadows tell her she's ugly. She is beautiful. The other day, I saw the shadow of an Army Wife....her better half's shadow is fighting in another country, putting his life up in the shadow of death everyday....His shadow just wants to come home to his wife. I hear of stories of young girls' shadows forcing them to starve themselves to look like another crippled shadow of a pretty, but lonely, girl.

These are the shadows that nobody seems to know about. They stay hidden in the darkness of our souls, but haunt and follow us no matter where we end up going. We can run and go as far as we want to. We can fly to another country, move into another house, abandon family for isolation....but they are still with us. The shadows are still there. Haunting. Torturing. Abusing. Tearing us apart and ripping us from the inside-out, like a piece of paper going through a shredder. These are the shadows that we do not want to see. These are the shadows that, sadly, we allow to control and take over our innocent, yet harmful thoughts, and actions.

I have my shadows, but I see others more than what I see within myself. I find it disheartening to my soul...even my shadow cries and pray for these other shadows. For the ones that I don't even know who they belong to.

I have my shadows....what's yours?