Response to concept: Wk 3; M, 8/26

There is a part of me that yearns to hide behind formal greetings and forced smiles. That part of me is vulnerable and afraid. It is a part of me that I am not proud to reveal. I bury skeletons of the past Sandy; one who was weak and less determined. In those moments of fragility, I was not the strong, courageous person that I aspire to be. My actions weren't always valid; they weren't always excused or justified. In fact, most of my lowest moments were caused by my lack of reasoning and my desire to follow the darker sensations repressed within. A desire which lurches out at times of need.I don't like showing the world that I am sometimes in need. I always want to be strong, happy, and lighthearted. I want to fit the persona that I propagate to society every single day I walk out of my household. I crave being one hundred percent exceptionally sound. But, the shadow that lurks underneath the idealistic me grows larger as more light is cast upon it. And, even though I suppress those parts of myself, the healthy, strained version of me screams "let it out! expel those memories and don't latch onto them like a needy child suckling its mother's breast." So, I seek consolation and affirmation in reading chapters like "The Shadow" that tell me that I should write the forbidden, telling me to access what truly speaks to me in the depths of my personality. It is a concept that betters not only my writing but also my sanity, and although I do not need Addonizio to come to that conclusion, I do need the affirmation to secure the uncertain, insecure thoughts inside my head.