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they’ll be tested.

all your best qualities will be tested. if you’re good, you’ll be punished for it. you’ll understand how no good deed goes unpunished. but you’ll be good, anyway.

if you’re sensitive, everything will hurt. the callouses and scar tissue will make it your daily devotion to somehow stay soft. if you are open, people will come into your house and take from you. you’ll learn when to close your doors and windows while leaving your heart open to the ones who feed you and see you.

if you’re receptive, they’ll overwhelm you with their chaos, opinions and perfume. you’ll share what you foraged in nature and let them win every oscar, tony and emmy for their work.

if you are generous, you’ll see all those christmas presents make their way to the trash before valentine’s day. people tire of what’s good. they want what’s new, what’s next, what they’re used to, even if the real gold never tarnishes.

if your energy is gratitude and abundance, you’ll meet death by a thousand cuts. it will be just enough for you to hate life, and everyone you love, and spoil the taste of everything you put to your lips. you’ll find a way to resurrect your gratitude, anyway. as an idealist, you’ll be dragged down by the realists and pessimists. the optimists will try to join you but you’ll resist the subtle bypassing. they are not your people, either.

why so many tests? because for your beauty to be true, it needs to be rooted in strength and integrity. that’s how you become you, every time they test the dragon’s willingness to abandon its treasure, and are met by your fire.