Let the Masks Fall

An essay about turning 28 years old and no longer being afraid of showing who I am. Well… maybe a little afraid, but doing it anyway.

Today marks my 28th birthday.

28 years of being a human on this earth. 28 years of leaving an impact. 28 years of figuring out who I am, and also unlearning who I thought I had to be. 28 years of crafting mask after mask — learning exactly when to put them on, when to switch between them, and when to let them fall. It’s a craftsmanship like no other, to study human behavior as intensely as I have. To notice every shift, every glance, every unspoken word — and adapt. It’s a skill that has served me well for a long time. But lately, those masks have become so heavy. And I’ve realized that the very craft that once kept me very safe, is now holding me down.

Something is shifting. I’ve reached a point where I’m no longer willing to shrink myself to make others feel comfortable. And it’s not because I want to provoke or be loud. It’s because I’ve come to see what it costs to keep parts of myself hidden. And the price is too damn high.

A month ago, the phrase “Honey & Thunder” came to me:

The Honey & Thunder Era Begins

It didn’t fully make sense at the time, but I understand it more deeply now.

I’ve always carried both. The soft, kind, empathetic side that meets people with openness & curiosity. And the raw, brutal honesty that cuts through every mask — both mine and yours.

For a long time, I believed I had to choose. That being soft meant staying quiet. That being fierce meant being misunderstood. I was afraid people wouldn’t see the honey behind the thunder.

But I see now that both can exist at once. I am both. And I will be misunderstood. That’s okay. I’m not for everyone.

This year, I’m stepping into that fully. I’m not so afraid of being misunderstood anymore. I’m more afraid of losing myself by constantly trying to manage how I’m perceived. I can’t control how others see me. But I can choose to stand firmly in who I am.

I don’t have it all figured out. I don’t think we’re meant to. But I do know this: I want to live a life where I’m not hiding. I want to use my voice, my heart, my thunder.

It’s scary though, stepping fully into who I am — knowing that some won’t like it. Knowing that some will turn away because I refuse to give them what they want to see. I can read people so clearly, see what they’re hiding and what they hope for, but I won’t give them the comfortable, likeable version. Not anymore.

In fact, I want us all to step into the light & let the masks fall.

I’ll go first.

Here I am.

28 years old, without any masks — only rooted in honey & reclaiming my thunder.

With love from the Castle of Wonders,
Maria