photo #8157403

To all the warriors with wounded souls... It's easy to judge, to put labels, to classify others according to our own standards, our view of the world. Yet, behind every behavior, every attitude, there is a story, an experience that we often ignore, and dare not take the time to explore. When we meet a strong woman, who seems distant, insecure or sometimes even cold, it is so tempting to judge her, to reduce her to what she shows of us. But in doing so, we forget a fundamental truth: she carries in her a heavy past, a past that shaped her, a past that is not seen, but felt. Don't judge this woman who has a strong character, a strong voice, an appearance of unwavering strength. Don't you know that behind this facade lies often a broken soul, a heart battered by betrayal, lies and humiliation? She did not choose that shell. She built her from suffering, from pain inflicted by those who were supposed to love and protect her. She's been cheated on, put down, ignored, abused, and sometimes even erased. Her walls are there to protect herself, not to relive this pain. But how many times, deep inside, she wept in silence, hoping someone could see beyond her facade, beyond her distance. Don't judge her if she's insecure, if she's having trouble gaining her trust. Every betrayal she suffered left an invisible scar that never fully heals. The lies, the manipulation, the indifference she encountered taught her to be cautious. To protect oneself. Because whenever she gave her heart, and let her guard down, she was hurt. So, she has learned to shut herself up, not to let anyone in anymore. But in this choice there is also suffering. Of solitude. Because who wants to live behind a wall, if not someone who has been broken down too often by those they thought were trustworthy? Don't judge her if she's ashamed of her body, if she's having a hard time loving it, accepting it. How many times has she heard cruel words, devaluing looks, actions that made her feel invisible, inferior, insecure? Everytime she looks at her reflection, she sees the sum of all those little humiliations. The body she wears is not that of perfect beauty, but that of a woman who lived. And sometimes, living leaves traces, sometimes the body testifies to the violence and battles we had to fight. So yes, she hesitates, she hides, she avoids looks. But behind that shame, there is a silent cry, a desire to be seen differently, to be loved for who she is, and not for what we expect of her. Don't judge her if she seems distant, if she sometimes prefers to get away from others. She's not running away because she doesn't want friendship, love, or complicity. She runs away to protect herself. She runs because she was often mistreated, betrayed by those who were supposed to surround her. So she's keeping her distance, not to let herself go, not to lose herself in relationships that only break her even more. But this withdrawal is not indifference, it's a buried pain, a pain that we hide so as not to let others see the depth of suffering. If you cross a woman's path like this, tell yourself that she knows suffering better than anyone. She went through hell and emerged not unscathed, but strong with a resilience many can't even imagine. She loves with true, honest and limitless love. This love, she gives without counting, because she knows how precious it is, how much it can mend, heal, bring light where there was darkness. But this love, she gives it to those who deserve it, to those who will respect its strength and fragility, to those who, far from judging it, will accept it in its entirety. Before you judge a woman with a difficult character, you should put yourself in her shoes, feel what she felt. But can we really understand? Can we really understand the violence of a look, the wound of a word, the tear of a betrayal? We can try, but really we don't know. What we know is that every human being, whatever their shell, carries within them a unique story, a story that deserves to be heard, respected and, above all, loved. So before you judge, let's be more gentle, more patient. Let's not see the mask but the heart. And maybe, just maybe, we will discover that this woman with a strong character, so hard to comprehend, is in fact a survivor, a soul that, despite all the trials, keeps moving forward, with an unwavering love to offer. Even though sometimes the smile hides the tears.