We have all seen the 2001 DreamWorks movie, Shrek. In the words of this intricate character, "Ogres are like onions...Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. We both have layers." Though Shrek is talking about the population of ogres, this idea applies to the ogre in every human being. We all have layers, too.

As a child, Shrek was one of my favorite movies. I never paid attention to the meaning behind every line as I do now. As Shrek speaks of onions and their similarity to him as a person, I always laughed and found this to be hilarious. Donkey's response expresses his concern that not everybody likes onions. This is true in society today in a sense that not everybody is going to like you. I am like an onion, and so are you.

I have many layers to me that others cannot see until they get to know me and dig deeper into my soul to find the person that is hiding beneath my skin. When I think about all of my layers, I find there to be six core parts to be peeled in fragments.

The skin of the onion, my first layer, consists of hair, eyes, feet, fingers, and everything in between. I speak through my mouth but words cannot express the person I am inside. My outer layer only shows what I wish to be visible to any stranger I encounter.

The next layer is revealed through conversation with a person I am meeting for the very first time. I am all smiles and compliments, showing the the happy-go-lucky girl I present myself as. I am polite and friendly no matter who I am conversing with and I try to see the best in people, even if it is buried deep beneath the surface.

The third layer of my being is shown through random acts of kindness. I like to put good into this crazy world we live in so other people can see there are still many kind souls within modern society. Simply holding the door for the person behind you is an act of kindness. While standing in line for coffee, every once in a while I like to tell the barista to add the next customer's order to my bill. There are so many simple things we can do to put good into the world and I believe it is very important to do just that as often as we can.

The layer that follows digs a little deeper. Once I have become comfortable with a person and have accepted them as a piece I want to keep in my life, I begin to let my guard down. I show them the good and the bad that is inside of me in hopes they will accept me despite my faults. This exposure is frightening and risky, but how can we know if we never try?

The fifth layer of myself is the most important one in my eyes. This layer exposes my secrets and hidden pleasures, as well as my fears and my insecurities. It is rare that I allow this part of me to reach the surface and pour out of my mouth in a waterfall of doubt, yet excitement. I find myself to be quite selective in who I share this layer with because trust shall only be placed in people who deserve it. But how am I to know if the ones I reveal myself to can truly be trusted? Trust is all about faith and belief that our vulnerability will be taken lightly and travel out our ears and into the hands of those we confide in.

The final layer consists of the deepest parts of me that only few have been able to find. I am quite the introvert and my biggest fear is allowing someone to see every piece of my being, for I despise feeling vulnerable. I will avoid this feeling at all costs, but sometimes the best thing to do is to allow vulnerability to take over.

Throughout my 20 years of life thus far, I have found a select bunch of people I have let see every layer of me and invited them to experience the thoughts stuck in my head and the buried feelings I keep trapped inside my heart. Some have showed me that letting someone in does not always have to be a bad thing. Others have showed me that sometimes it comes at a price and it is never promised that the people I open up to with remain in my life. Despite those who have loved and left, I treasure those who have stayed. Those people hold pieces of my heart and soul in their hands and have never let them shatter.

I love and appreciate you immensely. Peel my onion with ease and you will discover the beautiful parts of me I have grown to love.