This post was published in Norwegian 11th of july 2021.

On Tuesday, I drove to Drammen for lunch with a friend. I turned up the volume on the music and sang at the top of my lungs while moving and “dancing” in the car. I chuckled at the thought that someone in the passing cars might have noticed. In my last blog post about baring oneself, I touched on the topic of masks, and here it was again. This certainly wasn’t a mask for the workplace, I thought. Or is it a mask? No, it’s more like a personality. I have many sides. It’s really about which part of myself I choose to show.

We all have many faces or natural masks, and the masks are helpful. We need them. We wear a mask at work, a different one at the beach, and another one when we’re out on the town. Yes, we have masks for every situation. The real question is whether all of these masks are actually beneficial for us.

As the car passed Asker, I decided to take off a mask and make a confession: I like country music. I cranked up the music and sang at the top of my lungs to Counting Crows’ songs, “4 White Stallions” and “Big Yellow Taxi.” The music makes me happy. But who even likes country music?

Well, now it’s out in the open.

At the same time, I toyed with the idea of trying on a different mask when I arrived in Drammen. A young friend I met the day before is so wonderfully outgoing and talks to everyone, no matter where she is. Maybe I should try to see what it would be like to wear that mask?

When I arrived in Drammen, I met up with my friend for lunch, and we ended up at a café. We sat in the backyard and chatted. The hours flew by, and soon it was time to head home. I had completely forgotten about the masked dance.

We had such a lovely time. Why would I want to be anyone other than who I am? That’s the whole point, isn’t it? How could I forget? I should avoid putting on masks I don’t need. I’ll choose the ones that empower me and discard those that limit me.

I can experiment with new masks when I’m facing something I’m afraid of. Only then will I put on one I’ve never used before, step out of my comfort zone, and leap into the unknown.

Maybe I should find a situation and write about it, I thought, and immediately realized that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’ve put on the blogger mask. Over the past week, I’ve received feedback that I’m brave. Yes, I do feel a little brave too. At the same time, I can take off the mask and admit that I’ve been planning to blog for a while, but I haven’t dared to. For several months, I’ve been working through the inner fear to get ready. I realized I was wearing a protective mask. It was so thin that it took a long time to notice it, and even longer to realize I didn’t need it anymore. Finally, I had to set a date and take the plunge. And so far, it’s gone well.

I think I’ll keep the blogger mask on for a little longer.

What masks do you wear? Are there any masks you’d like to try, or masks you want to discard? Maybe you’ve already discarded one you no longer need?

Feel free to share in the comments below.

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