I am a listener. My welcoming nature creates an environment where people feel like they can open up to me. I love listening to people tell me what’s going on in their life. They look for me to confide in, to give solid advice. It's one of the best feelings in the world but it can also get lonely.

Lately, I find myself taking care of everyone but there’s no one offering to take care of me. The world is cruel. Sometimes I find myself being suffocated with responsibilities, insecurities and so much more. The worst prison is your mind. You can’t escape it. And if you don’t have anyone to calm your corybantic thoughts, it’ll consume you whole.

I am a zombie going through the motion but no one seems to notice. As long as you have a smile plastered on your face, you're assumed to be happy. But why can't people see beneath the surface? Take the Iceberg theory, for example.

In this image, you can only see ten percent of what's on the surface. No one bothers to see the ninety percent of what's below the surface. I have come to terms with the fact that people are selfish. They choose to see what they want. If they cared enough they would realize how much of a reck I really am.

I am a listener. The role itself is self-explanatory. A listeners role is only to listen, not share. I have all these stories of different people but who can honestly say they know my story? You don't really know a person unless you sit and talk with them until it's three in the morning.

Not everyone deserves to know me. Not everyone deserves to see the goofy side of myself. I wish I knew sooner that not everyone has the same heart as me. And it took me a while to realize that I shouldn't stay friends with people who never ask you how you're doing. People will only talk to you when it's convenient for them.

I don't ask for much. I just want someone, anyone to be there for me. But even that is too much to ask. People come and go. It's a never-ending cycle. Maybe that's partly the reason I've obtained the habit of doing everything myself. Over the Summer that passed, I was told, "You're young with a whole life ahead of you. I know that's it important to grow and work on yourself but you don't have to always do it alone."

But what they don't understand is that I have to. I have to do everything myself because if I don't who will? I put myself first before anything, I wipe my own tears, when I'm upset because no one is going to do that for me. The people I used to call friends made that crystal clear which is why protecting my peace is one thing that I will never give up.

I want to be able to share my feelings. I want to be able to feel like I have someone who will listen. I want someone who won't leave when things get hard but we don't always get what we want. I'll always just be a listener trapped inside her own mind.