Behind the Curtain

Last week, I bought a new pair of curtains for my livingroom. They were far too long, so after much measuring, cutting and pure luck ,they were the appropriate length. I satisfyingly ironed up the hem, (thank you, whoever invented that) hung them up and now they are hanging at the perfect length!

Curtains/blinds are designed to keep the cold and dark out, as well as look pretty, give us privacy and keep us from staring outside! But they are much more than this. When we close them, we are then contained in our own little bubble. We shut the world out and we get on with our evening. We no longer have to think about anything outwith our home.

Remember the scene from The Wizard Of Oz when Dorothy and the gang have gone to ask the wizard for help? The loud booming voice and the big face appearing whilst Toto the dog pulls back a curtain and reveals the true wizard. A man, not big or scary. He used the curtain to hide his identity and keep the wizard a mystery, it was all show. What are your curtains hiding?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could close the curtains around aspects of our life that we just didn’t want to deal with in the here and now. We could surround it with a big curtain and walk away, forgetting about it! No more negativity, no more being all grown up, instead we just wheek a curtain and like magic, we can go about our day or lives without that impending issue to deal with! Do you already do this? Do you have things safely put behind imaginary curtains? Maybe you need to look closely at this. Is it something you need to deal with but are putting off? Or is it just parked, and you’ll come back to it when you get a moment?

It also works the other way, when you’re having the time of your life and don’t want it to end, instead of going back into the real world, you just wheek a curtain over and like magic, you are cocooned in your own wee bubble. The rest of the world is kept out and you’re able to enjoy whatever it is you are doing without being distracted by mundane life! How good would that be?

If you think about it, curtains are always a source of mystery, for example at the theatre when you watch a show, they keep us intrigued before it starts. They hold the secrets of the play which we only learn when they open! It allows for those magical scene changes, where, those behind it, are creating an enchanting new world for us, whilst we just wait with anticipation at what wondrous beauty is about to be revealed.

Curtains can also be used to keep things hidden, the negative things, they can hide sinister things, such as abuse, cruelty, violence and fear. Your home should be a safe place, keeping the bad things out not shutting them in where they do you harm. This isn’t right, no one should live in fear, If you are in this situation, I wish I could help you pull that curtain down from around your home so you know you are not alone, and we all want to help you survive and be free. When those curtains close, it shouldn’t be fear and terror you feel, it should be warmth and love. We tend not to think of curtains being a barrier to this, but how many people are living in fear of them closing? How many know that once they close, there world of pain is only beginning? If you are in this situation, please, please reach out to someone, however you can and no matter how small it is, the same goes if you think someone is in this situation. Let them know you are there and want to help.

Curtains are not just curtains, they are a metaphor for the secrets we hold or want to hold or what we want to avoid and ignore. I never thought when hanging my curtains last week, I would be thinking about them differently. I mean, they are just curtains!

So the next time you open or close your curtains, think for a moment about the areas in your life that you are closing off or hiding away. Sometimes, we just need to deal with the issue and rip that plaster off or in this case pull open those massive curtains!! Are you hiding behind the curtains because life out there is too much? What can you do today, to help you get closer to opening them? What are you afraid of people seeing or knowing? Is there someone who could help you? Maybe those curtains are your way of relaxing after a stressful week, wrapping yourself up in your own world and having a few days just for you. On that note, bring down the curtain!

Thank you for reading, take care and have a lovely week. Look after you!

Love Emma xxx 😍